The impishly frenetic TV funnyman, late of NewsRadio, was in a Los Angeles courtroom yesterday pleading not guilty to a handful of charges stemming from a May accident involving his car, a telephone pole and quantities of cocaine and pot.
In registering his plea (which came a day before Dick was actually due in court), the sobriety-challenged comic asked if could enter a court-sanctioned drug diversion program in lieu of any jail time. The presiding judge has scheduled an August 12 date to hear Dick make his case for rehab.
Dick, 33, was allegedly smashed when he smashed his car into a utility pole in Hollywood May 15. He reputedly tried to flee the scene on foot, was tackled by a witness and held until the cops arrived. A subsequent search of his car turned up cocaine and marijuana.
All told, Dick faces charges of possession of a controlled substance (the cocaine), possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and hit-and-run driving. The coke possession charge is a felony; the rest are less-serious misdemeanors. He remains free on $10,000 bail.
Shortly after his arrest, his publicist said the entertainer was heading back for another stint of rehab--he had put in clinic time last year for his party-hardy ways.
In February, Dick, who played hapless Matthew Brock on the just-canceled NewsRadio, was investigated by police for allegedly exposing himself during a Florida university concert. A month later, he was among the last to party with David Strickland before the Suddenly Susan costar hanged himself in a Las Vegas hotel room.