Vanilla Ice accepts plea deal in Florida burglary case

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Vanilla Ice has accepted a plea deal to perform community service after being arrested over the break-in and theft at an abandoned home in Florida.

The rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, appeared in circuit court in West Palm Beach on Thursday. He agreed to a fine and 100 hours of community service to avoid charges of grand theft in the February incident.

Van Winkle hosts a home-improvement show, DIY Network’s “The Vanilla Ice Project,” and was renovating a home next to the victim. He said the alleged theft was a misunderstanding.

The 47-year-old rose to fame with the 1990 hit song “Ice Ice Baby.”

He told The Palm Beach Post (http://bit.ly/1bRy8IE ), “I’m glad to have this behind me.”