Legal News

Willie?s Deal: Play Us a Tune, and We?ll Drop the Charges

By Ashby Jones

'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.'

– Hudspeth County (Texas) Attorney Kit Bramblett

Yes, this certainly does qualify as one of the stranger criminal sentences we’ve ever come across. Kit Bramblett, the district attorney for Hudpeth County, Texas, is letting famed singer-songwriter and marijuana-legalization advocate Willie Nelson plead guilty to a marijuana possession charge in exchange for, well, what Bramblett describes above: a fine and a song. Literally, a song.

Click here for the Fox News story.

According to the story, Nelson, 77, was busted at a border patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas, en route to Austin in November of last year. He was arrested but released when he posted $2,500 bond at Hudspeth County Jail.

The prosecutor in the case said he was willing to let Nelson off with a $100 fine if Nelson performed his song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in the courtroom. The prosecutor reportedly said the song would count as Nelson’s community service.

If Nelson chooses not to accept the prosecutor’s offer, he could face a maximum of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted when he appears in court, at a date yet to be decided.

Don’t know the song? Click here for a classic YouTube clip of Nelson doing the song some serious justice.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on March 29, 2011 (boomark / email).