LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Hip-Hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in a Las Vegas court Tuesday, stemming from an altercation with his girlfriend last year, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
The plea was part of a deal with the district attorney's office that allowed the 43-year-old Knight to avoid being tried on two felony drug charges and one felony coercion charge, the paper says.
Knight was arrested on Aug. 27 when police allegedly witnessed him holding a knife and punching his girlfriend, Melissa Isaac, in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip. He was also allegedly carrying Ecstasy and the prescription drug hydrocodone at the time of his arrest.
District Attorney David Roger told the Sun that the police lost contact with Isaac, making their case against Knight more difficult.
"Domestic violence is a serious issue in our community, and anytime we can get a domestic violence conviction without a victim cooperating, we're happy," he told the paper. "We're hopeful the defendant will never batter a woman again, or he'll face more serious charges and consequences."
The music producer was sentenced to 48 hours of community service, ordered to attend domestic violence counseling, and fined $340, the newspaper says.
The plea comes after Knight was hospitalized following an early-morning fight Monday at the W Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. Two men were arrested after the scuffle, including one who claimed to be the business manager for music star Akon. Knight was among the celebrities in town for the NBA All-Star Game played Sunday night in nearby Phoenix.
As Death Row's co-founder, Knight helped launch the careers of such artists as Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. However, his empire later crumbled and he has since become better known for his legal and financial woes in recent years.
Knight was driving with Shakur as his passenger when the rap artist was shot and killed in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting in September 1996.
- Comment
