BREAKING NEWS

Judge clears Bruno Mars of cocaine charge

LOS ANGELES - A Las Vegas judge on Wednesday dismissed the cocaine possession case against pop star Bruno Mars after he successfully completed court-ordered drug education classes and community service, even exceeding the amount of hours he was told to serve.
Clark County District Court Judge Jessie Walsh cleared Bruno of the charge, said Mary Ann Price, court information officer for the 8th Judicial District Court.
Mars, whose real name is Peter Hernandez, was arrested in September 2010 after a bathroom attendant at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel caught him with "a baggy of white powder," later found to be cocaine, according to a police report at the time.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing cocaine and received a $2,000 fine, 200 hours of community service, drug counseling and was told to stay out of trouble during a year of informal probation. Bruno performed all the requirements and exceeded the 200 hours of service, his attorney told Reuters.