Singer Willie Nelson may face time in jail for possession of marijuana after a West Texas judge rejected a plea deal Wednesday that would have settled the case with a fine.
Prosecutors had agreed June 8 to reduce charges against Nelson and
allow him to stay out of jail if he paid a $500 fine and $280 in court
costs, with the judge expected to clear his record if he stayed out of
trouble for 30 days, the Los Angeles Times reports.
But the plan fell through when Hudspeth County Judge Becky Dean-Walker rejected prosecutor Kit Bramblett's suggestion, saying that Bramblett is giving Nelson special attention.
"It's not right simply because he doesn't do that for anybody else," Dean-Walker told the Associated Press.Instead, she wants Nelson, 78, to be charged with the misdemeanor of possession of marijuana, which could be punishable by up to one year in jail, according to CBS.
Bramblett did not return a call from the Associated Press and Nelson's publicist declined comment.
Nelson was arrested in November at an El Paso Border Patrol checkpoint when an agent searched his tour bus. He was later released on bail.