Bruno Mars cleared of Vegas cocaine possession charge

New York, Jan 19 (ANI): Bruno Mars, who found himself in a legal hassle last year after pleading guilty to cocaine possession in L.A, was cleared of the felony charge on Wednesday.

The case was dismissed by Clark County District Court Court Judge Jessie Walsh, after the pop star's attorneys told a state court judge that the Grammy-winning singer stayed out of trouble and met other conditions of a plea deal reached almost a year ago.

Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, didn't appear in person for the brief hearing in Las Vegas, New York Daily News reported.

He pleaded guilty last February 16 to cocaine possession, but the judge postponed accepting the plea. She gave Mars probation, fined him 2,000 dollars and instructed him to perform 200 hours of community service and eight hours of drug counselling.

Mars accepted having 2.6 grams of cocaine when he was arrested in a bathroom in September 2010 after a nightclub performance at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

His attorneys, Blair Berk and David Chesnoff, said "Just The Way You Are" singer has abided by the requirements. He could have faced up to four years in state prison.

Berk asserted that worked with unspecified children's charities and health-related organizations to complete his community service. She also insisted that the singer appreciated the chance he got as a first-time offender to have the felony charge dismissed. (ANI)