Busta Rhymes To Face Four Trials In New York

Lawd have mercy Busta.....Yuh salt Yuh salt ......


Busta Rhymes will face a string of trials for assault and driving violations after prosecutors lost a bid on Tuesday to consolidate four cases against the performer into one case.

Rhymes, 34, who has been arrested four times since last summer, gave his defense attorney a celebratory "high five" hand slap after Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Larry Stephen rejected the prosecution's argument to combine the cases.

The separate cases will be tried consecutively, with an opening date to be set at a September 5 hearing, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said.

The judge gave no public explanation for his decision, and the court papers have been ordered kept private and under seal on grounds that they detail the defense strategy.

"The decision today validates the defense's argument," said defense attorney Scott Leemon, who would not elaborate.

Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, was arrested most recently on May 3 on suspicion of drunk driving.

Earlier this year, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license, and on a separate occasion on suspicion of assaulting his personal driver.

In August 2006 he was arrested for allegedly beating up a man who reportedly spit on his car.

Also in court on Tuesday, Rhymes turned down, for a second time, a plea deal that would have sent him to jail for one year in exchange for a guilty plea to four misdemeanor charges.

He turned down a similar deal at a hearing in May.

Source: www.hhnlive.com