Juvenile News

(2/22/03, 7 a.m. ET) -- Rapper Juvenile pleaded guilty to felony battery on Friday (February 21) in Miami, Florida in relation to March 2001 incident and was sentenced to 75 hours of community service, unsupervised probation for a year, $782 in court costs, and $5,000 donation to a local children's charity. If the rapper violates his probation, he could face up to five years in jail.

According to a police report, two witnesses claimed to have seen Juvenile on March 28, 2001, assault Jackson Saint Ange, 28, with a bottle of Moet when the two had a heated exchange outside of the Improv Comedy Club in Miami's Coconut Grove section. Ange was knocked unconscious and taken to the Mercy Hospital to be treated for serious head injuries.

When officers working an off-duty job at the Improv Comedy Club responded to the brawl, they discovered Juvenile and approximately 20 others running down an escalator. As the officers attempted to diffuse several other fights that had broken out, Juvenile stopped an officer from arresting an associate, according to a police report.

Prosecutor Teresa Williams told reporters that she agreed to the deal because none of the other individuals involved in the brawl were detained. In addition, Andrew Boros, Mr. Saint Ange's attorney told Judge Bertila Soto that his client agreed with the plea deal and had settled a civil lawsuit against Juvenile for an undisclosed amount.

This isn't the end of Juvenile's legal woes. The rapper still has two outstanding cases. One case involves the rapper's September 2002 arrest for simple battery and simple burglary in New Orleans. The arrest stemmed from an incident in May of 2002 when Juvenile allegedly punched his barber, Bert Williams, and then two unidentified associates of the rapper took $200 from Williams's pockets. According to police, Juvenile and Williams got into an argument because Williams has allegedly bootlegged copies of Juvenile's upcoming album from an advance CD he'd received from the rapper.

Juvenile's other case stems from a January 2003 arrest for marijuana and cocaine possession. The rapper and three other men were arrested during a traffic stop in New Orleans.

Police smelled the strong scent of marijuana when the rented 2003 Lincoln Town Car proceeded through the checkpoint, according to reports. After pulling over the vehicle, officers found two marijuana cigarettes burning in the ashtray. According to New Orleans police department spokesman Sergeant Paul Accardo, a small amount of cocaine was also discovered in the trunk.

-- Yves Salomon, New York

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