Snoop Dogg spared jail

Friday, April 13, 2007

Snoop Dogg has been spared jail after pleading no contest to gun and drug charges. The rapper entered the plea in relation to charges of the sale or transportation of marijuana and possession of a gun by a convicted felon. Snoop was handed a five years' probation period, a three-year-suspended sentence and 800 hours of community service. The 35-year-old star - who also agreed to make public announcements against violence - could have been jailed for four years.

Judge Terry Smerling laid down the conditions of Snoop's probation at the Los Angeles court hearing yesterday. The star can only spend 400 hours of his community service working with the
youth American Football league he helped found. The judge also ruled Snoop must provide authorities a DNA sample and he must have a medical permit if he uses marijuana. Snoop's lawyer Donald Etra said the rapper-and-actor smokes marijuana because he has migraines and has a medical permit under state law. If Snoop violates his probation he faces three years in jail.

The star - real name Calvin Broadus - was arrested at California's Burbank airport last October, after police found a handgun and marijuana in his car. Another gun was found in his Los Angeles home last November following a police search. The 'Drop It Like It's Hot' star is forbidden from ever owning a gun, following his conviction for possession of drugs for sale in 1990. He is currently facing separate charges relating to the discovery of a collapsible baton found in his bag at Orange County's John Wayne Airport last September.