Flavor Flav faces possible indictment in speeding case
William Drayton, Jr., better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, appears in the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola on Friday, May 16, 2014 . Credit: Howard Schnapp
A grand jury will decide whether to indict rapper Flavor Flav for allegedly speeding to his mother's funeral six months ago on the Meadowbrook State Parkway, authorities said.
The 54-year-old musician, whose real name is William Drayton, appeared in a Mineola courtroom Friday on a felony charge of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He also faces violations of speeding and marijuana possession.
The Freeport native and former reality TV star appeared in court wearing a smaller version of his signature clock around his neck.
"It's a beautiful day out here today. And you know what, I'm getting ready to go enjoy it at Jones Beach," Flav said outside the courthouse.
The Las Vegas resident pleaded not guilty in January.
His Bronx attorney, Indji Bessim, has sought for several months to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors. She and her client were "just not prepared to take a felony plea today," Bessim said Friday.
The Nassau district attorney's office declined to comment.
Flav was arrested Jan. 9 by a State Police trooper after he was allegedly clocked going 79 mph in a 55-mph stretch of the Meadowbrook near the Southern State Parkway in Hempstead.
Flav was part of Public Enemy, a group inducted in 2013 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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