Singer Bobby Brown ordered to face traffic charges

Jet, Dec 16, 2002

A DeKalb County State Court judge in Decatur, GA, recently denied a motion to drop charges from a 1996 traffic stop against Grammy Award-winning singer Bobby Brown.

Brown appeared with his wife, famed singer/actress Whitney Houston, with whom he held hands and talked quietly. The courtroom was filled with the couples' entourage and fans.

The 33-year-old singer failed to go to a hearing in 1997 on charges of driving under the influence, speeding, failing to maintain a lane and having no proof of insurance.

Xavier Dicks, Brown's attorney, argued that the charges happened too long ago and the memory of any potential witnesses would be impaired. State Court Judge Wayne Purdom denied his motion and set a Jan. 21 trial date.

In November Brown was arrested in Atlanta on charges of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, speeding and having no driver's license or proof of insurance (JET, Nov. 25).

After he was released from the Atlanta jail on $1,300 bond, he was transferred to the DeKalb County Jail, where he posted a $10,000 bond.

Brown, a former member of the hit R&B group New Edition, is currently featured on rapper Ja Rule's latest CD, The Last Temptation, on the hit single Thug Lovin, which is in heavy radio rotation.