Flavor Flav gets probation in assault case

Hip-hop veteran Flavor Flav has been sentenced to probation and four months of domestic violence counselling after pleading guilty to charges relating to a 2012 fight with his girlfriend’s son. The Public Enemy star, real name William Drayton, Jr., had been due to stand trial for felony assault with a weapon and child endangerment amid claims he had allegedly threatened and chased the 17-year-old boy with a butcher’s knife during a family argument in October, 2012.
The rapper, 55, previously pleaded not guilty, but he managed to reach a plea deal with prosecutors, which saw his charges reduced to misdemeanours for attempted battery that could have caused substantial injury and battery constituting domestic violence.
He pleaded guilty to the two lesser counts during a hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas on Monday (14Apr14) and was handed his punishment.
A progress hearing has been set for 18 August (14).
The lighter sentence is good news for Drayton, Jr. – he had faced up to 12 years behind bars if convicted of the felony charges.
But his legal woes aren’t over yet – he is also facing prosecution in New York relating to an arrest in January (14). He has pleaded not guilty to counts of speeding, possession of marijuana and felony aggravated unlicenced operation of a motor vehicle and is due back in court for that case on 16 May (14).