News: Snoop Dogg Avoids Prison in Plea Deal
Snoop Dogg has got a major problem on his hands. The rapper from the LBC has been hit with felony counts of sale or transportation of marijuana and possession of firearm by a felon, according to published reports.
The Doggfather's current case partly stems from being arrested October 26, 2006 by police at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on suspicion of transportation of a controlled substance.
Meanwhile, the gun charge stems from a Burbank police bust as he left the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" where the gun was allegedly discovered.
Cordozar Calvin Broadus AKA Snoop Dogg, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning at 10am in Pasadena (CA) Superior Court. If convicted, he faces up to four years in state prison.
The rapper was convicted in 1990 of cocaine possession and charged with gun possession after a 1993 traffic stop. He pleaded guilty in exchange for three years' probation and a promise to make public service announcements against violence.
Also awaiting Snoop Dogg, is a May 15 hearing in Orange County Superior Court on a charge of carrying a 20-inch collapsible baton (which authorities consider a dangerous weapon) into John Wayne Airport. The rapper said the baton was a prop for a movie he was filming.
Snoop Dogg entered into a plea agreement Wednesday that spared him prison time - for now - on gun and weapons charges.
"Snoop recognizes he got a great plea deal from prosecutors," said his attorney, Donald Etra. "He's going to make sure nothing interferes with keeping his part of the bargain. He's relieved and glad this case is behind him."
As part of the agreement, the rapper, 35, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, pleaded no contest in a Pasadena court Wednesday to gun possession by a felon and sale or transportation of marijuana. Snoop has a certificate for medical marijuana for migraine headaches, but the amounts found exceeded the legal limit.
Superior Court Judge Terry Smerling then issued the suspended prison term, which could be lifted - sending Snoop straight to prison - if the rapper gets in trouble with the law again. The judge also placed Snoop on five years' probation, ordered him to perform 800 hours of community service and prohibited him from affiliating with gang members.
Snoop was arrested Oct. 26 at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport after he was found with a handgun and marijuana in his car. A raid a month later on his Los Angeles home uncovered another gun, police say.
Because Snoop is a convicted felon - he was busted for cocaine trafficking in 1990 - he is forbidden from owning a gun for life.
This does not end the musician's legal problems. He also has a standing case in Orange County for a felony charge of knowingly possessing a dangerous weapon for trying to board a plane while carrying a 20-inch collapsible baton in a computer bag. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. Snoop pleaded not guilty, and his attorney says the baton was a movie prop.
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