Judge Tosses Hit-and-Run Charge Against David Hasselhoff's Ex-Wife

LOS ANGELES – A misdemeanor hit-and-run charge against Pamela Bach, David Hasselhoff's ex-wife, was dropped Tuesday after she agreed to pay for what her attorney called minor damage.

A Superior Court judge granted a defense motion of a permanent stay of the charge — equivalent to a dismissal — after the woman whose car was struck withdrew her complaint.

"We presented an affidavit to the court that she was no longer desirous of prosecution," said Bach's attorney, Mark Geragos. He declined to identify the woman.

Geragos said he talked to the woman earlier in the week and she agreed to withdraw the case, while Bach agreed to pay for damages.

The attorney said the damage amounted to little more than a "paint transfer." Damage estimates of between $700 and $1,300 were submitted, and insurance companies would handle the payment, Geragos said.

"I think she handled the whole thing with grace and dignity," he said of Bach.

The actress was accused of backing into the woman's car while parking to visit a friend in the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 22.

The actress got out of her vehicle after the collision but saw no damage. She parked her car and visited with her friend for four hours, Geragos said.

However, an onlooker took down Bach's license plate number and in February prosecutors charged her, under the name Pamela Hasselhoff, with hit-and-run causing property damage. The crime carried a maximum jail sentence of six months.

In court, however, "we agreed to the compromise and the case was permanently stayed," city attorney's office spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

Bach and Hasselhoff, who starred on "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch," were married in December 1989. They divorced last year.