Snoop Dogg has avoided a potential one-year jail term. Appearing April 11 in a Los Angeles courtroom, the 35-year-old rapper pleaded no contest to charges of gun possession by a felon and sale or transportation of marijuana. He agreed to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service.
Los Angeles Superior County Judge Terry Smerling ruled that Snoop Dogg - born Calvin Broadus - could not have any gang members in his entourage, and must notify the probation department before leaving the state of California.
He must also provide authorities with a DNA sample and must have a medical permit if he uses marijuana. If he violates probation, he will be sentenced to three years in state prison.
Snoop Dogg also faces separate felony charges stemming from a September incident in which airport screeners discovered a collapsible baton in his computer bag. He claims it was a movie prop, while authorities allege it is a weapon. Defense attorney Donald Etra calls those charges "bogus."