A judge has agreed to postpone Snoop Dogg's appearance in court to face a deadly weapon charge - relating to his possession earlier this year of that illegal police baton - until January next year. The rapper, real name Calvin Broadus was, as previously reported charged with the felony after security staff noticed the 53cm long collapsible nightstick as he attempted to board a flight from California's John Wayne airport back on 27 Sep. As well as granting the postponement, Judge Kazuharu Makino allowed Snoop to sign a waiver that will allow him to miss most "non-substantive" hearings in the case.
Snoop claimed at the time, of course, that it was to be used as a prop in a video he was due to shoot in New York, and it sounds as though the rapper will stick to that story. Asked if Broadus knew that the baton was an illegal weapon, his lawyer Don Etra replied: "It's premature to discuss what he knew. He had no intent to use it as a weapon and no intent to carry a weapon on his person."
Snoop faces up to three years in prison if he's convicted. He is, as previously reported, facing a number of charges for separate offences at the present time. In October he was arrested at another California airport on suspicion of firearms and drugs possession, and in November was apprehended at the NBC studios in Burbank on suspicion of possessing cocaine, marijuana and a false compartment in which to conceal the aforementioned. He appears in court on 12 Dec to answer the former charges, and 11 Jan regarding the latter.