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Legal
Nelson could sing his way out of a drugs charge (well, not really, but that’s what a County Attorney said)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 30 March 2011
This is a great story. It’s not really true, but let’s not worry about that, first rule of journalism: don’t let the truth get in the way of a great story.
It was widely reported yesterday that a County Attorney in Texas was planning on letting Willie Nelson off a previously reported drugs charge providing he agreed to come to court and sing an acoustic rendition of his song ‘Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain’.
As previously reported, Nelson was charged with a misdemeanour last December after a small amount of cannabis was found on his tour bus by a Texas state border patrol.
With the charge due to come to court, Country Attorney Kit Bramblett this week confirmed that, given the amount of cannabis found, Nelson would get off with a nominal fine. But he added, seemingly in jest, that that would be conditional of Nelson agreeing to an in-court performance.
Admitting he was a lifelong Nelson fan, Bramblett told reporters: “You bet your ass I ain’t gonna be mean to Willie Nelson. I’m gonna let him plead, pay a small fine and he’s gotta sing ‘Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain’ with his guitar right there in the courtroom. Willie Nelson is 77 years old and I’m 78, he’s been my favourite artist all my life. We all know he smokes a little pot”.
With a drugs charge of this kind in Texas a defendant pleading no contest could usually do so by mail, and not actually have to attend court, but Bramblett said the judge hearing the case had insisted Nelson attend in person, implying she also liked to idea of a little exclusive acoustic performance in court.
But said judge, Becky Dean-Walker, has since told the Associated Press that Bramblett was joking, and that Nelson will be able to plead guilty by mail if he so wishes. Which is no fun at all. Bramblett, the judge said “was trying to be funny and it got out of hand”.
