Tommy Lee's wild ride has come to an end. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced the Mötley Crüe drummer to six months in jail and three years' probation for battering his soon-to-be ex-wife, Pamela Anderson, while she held their infant son. Malibu Municipal Judge Lawrence Mira told Lee, who had pleaded no-contest last month to felony spousal abuse, that it was time he paid the price for his many years of bad behavior. "I'm here to send you a different message," said Mira, who also put Robert Downey Jr., behind bars. "What I see here is a very clear [and] disturbing, in my judgment, pattern of conduct in which otherwise resolvable issues are handled with violence… and that it intolerable in any kind of civilized society."

A handcuffed Lee was removed from the court immediately after sentencing to begin serving his sentence in county jail. The rocker has good incentive to stay out of trouble once he's released from the slammer: Under the terms of the sentence imposed by Mira, Lee could land in state prison for three years if he violates any of the terms of his parole. "You have an awful lot to lose… it's all in your hands," the judge told Lee. In addition to jail time and probation, Mira ordered Lee to perform 200 hours of community service and donate $5,000 to a battered women's shelter. Lee must also refrain from using drugs and alcohol, and keep at least 100 yards away from Anderson, who was not in court for the sentencing.

Outside court, Lee's attorney, Charles English, said that his client "appreciates the courtesy with which he's been treated in the system," but added that Lee will miss his children during his incarceration. "He's obviously very sad," English said. "He's going to be away from his kids, and that's the biggest thing, what he really cares about." English predicts that Lee will "do fine" when he's released on probation. "Tommy's a smart guy," he said.

Lee was arrested Feb. 24 after Pamela called 911 to report a domestic dispute. Police arrived to find the former Baywatch star had suffered minor injuries, including a broken fingernail and redness on her lower back. Pamela contends that Tommy kicked her in the back and butt while she was holding then 7-week-old Dylan Jagger. Lee was charged with spousal abuse, child abuse, and unlawful possession of a firearm, but in exchange for pleading no-contest, all but the spousal abuse charge was dropped.

By copping a plea, the 35-year-old musician automatically violated the terms of his probation on another case. Lee entered a no-contest plea in January to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an assault on paparazzo Henry Trappler outside L.A.'s Viper Room in September 1996. Trappler suffered a broken pelvis and rib during the incident. Lee was ordered to pay $17,500 restitution, undergo anger-management counseling, and perform 250 hours of community service. A civil suit arising from the incident was settled in April.

Tommy Lee has had several other brushes with the law, including a still-pending misdemeanor assault charge for allegedly attacking a security guard at a Crüe show in Phoenix last December. He pleaded innocent in February. In 1993, Lee was arrested for disturbing the peace and sentenced to two years probation, and the following year he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun at the Los Angeles International Airport. Other incidents include a vandalism charge for throwing a rock through a photographer's car window and allegedly assaulting someone who made a rude remark to Anderson.