Today, a bench warrant was issued for the arrest of incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne after he became a no-show for his Arizona court appearance.
The warrant was reportedly issued Tuesday (March 16) morning.
Yuma County Superior Court Judge Mark Wayne Reeves issued the warrant Tuesday morning after Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, failed to appear for a final trial management conference. Carter has been charged with one count each of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He has plead not guilty to all the charges. (Yuma Sun)
Wayne’s lawyer addressed the matter and explained his client’s current incarceration.
Lil Wayne’s attorney, James Tilson, said his client couldn’t appear because he’s serving a one-year jail sentence in New York for having a loaded gun on his tour bus. The rapper began serving that sentence March 8 at the Rikers Island jail complex. Tilson said he has filed motions to have Lil Wayne’s March 30 trial date vacated, and asked the court that his client be allowed to appear in Yuma when he finishes his New York jail sentence. He also has asked that his bond remain the same. (Associated Press)
His case relates to a felony arrest which took place over two years ago.
Wayne pled not guilty in the past to a litany of drug charges related to a January 2008 arrest, where DEA agents found 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine and 41 grams of ecstasy pills and a 40-caliber pistol on his tour bus. (TMZ)
The rapper is currently behind bars serving a one-year sentence on a gun possession charge.
Lil Wayne could be in jail for just eight months and he is serving his sentence at the Eric M. Taylor Center at Rikers Island. He is prisoner number 3491003868 in the NY State Prisoner Lookup. All he has to do is stay out of trouble in prison and behave himself and he not have to serve the full year. At this point it is unsure of what will happen to the charges he is facing in Arizona; they may have to be postponed until he is released from jail. (Now Public)
