Rapper Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, is shown in his 2008 mugshot after his arrest on a battery charge.On April 10, 2008, Van Winkle was arrested in Palm Beach County on a battery charge for allegedly kicking and hitting Laura. He was released the following day after Laura declared that her husband had only pushed her. In court, the couple's neighbor, Frank Morales, stated that it was merely a verbal argument. According to the police report, Van Winkle had told police that his wife is bipolar and tends to get irrational and argumentative, despite being on medication. Van Winkle was ordered by a Florida court to stay away from his wife following his arrest, and to only communicate with his children only if Morales accompanied him. The judge told Van Winkle that he could only contact his wife via telephone.
On April 29th, 2008, his lawyers, Bradford Cohen and Joseph LoRusso, were able to get the entire case dropped, after providing the state attorney with evidence that conflicted with what was originally reported. Van Winkle released the following statement on his website: "I love my wife and my family. We have been together for fourteen years. Every now and then there is a bump in the road just like in most relationships; unfortunately mine is made public, and the media has a way of twisting things around. Don't believe what you hear. When I got out, we hugged and made up. We just want the whole thing to go away. My family means the world to me, and I would never hurt anyone."
