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Willie Nelson Can Sing for His Freedom, Texas Prosecutor Says

By Adam Ramirez on March 29, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Negotiating settlements and plea deals as a solo (or at a small firm) can sometimes be tedious.

To mix things up, how would you like to broker a deal to have a country music legend sing for his freedom?

That's exactly what is happening with Willie Nelson's most recent pot bust in West Texas. The prosecutor has offered to let Willie get off if he hands over a C Note and sings for his freedom... literally.

"You can bet your ass I'm not going to be mean to Willie Nelson," Hudspeth County Attorney C.R. "Kit" Bramblett told CNN, confirming his plea recommendation.

Nelson, a singing icon in Texas, was charged with marijuana possession after U.S. Border Patrol agents searched his tour bus in Hudspeth County, about 85 miles southeast of El Paso last November.

No court date is set, but Bramblett said he would recommend a plea deal for Nelson that includes the legendary country artist singing his 1975 hit "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." The courtroom performance would serve as his community service, he told CNN.

Judge Becky Dean-Walker demanded that Nelson appear in court, even though marijuana possession charges are usually resolved by mail, Bramblett tells the Associated Press. "She wanted to meet Willie," Bramblett said.

Nelson was accused of possessing 6 ounces of marijuana, but when the packaging was removed, the weight was 3 ounces, making it a misdemeanor, Bramblett told the Daily Mail. "Between me and the sheriff, we threw out enough of it or smoked enough so that there's only three ounces, which is within my jurisdiction," Bramblett joked.

The final decision, though, will be in the hands of Judge Becky Dean-Walker, who seemed irritated by media reports Monday concerning the proposed plea deal.

"My court is not a jester court," Judge Dean-Walker told CNN. "I understand that people are star stuck, I'm not one of them."

Sounds like the prosecutor may want to get this case settled and done without aggravating the judge too much.

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