Tone Loc pleads no contest to California domestic and weapons charges

 Posted on October 12,2011 in Firearm Possession

Rapper Tone Loc appeared in court last week and pled no contest to weapons and domestic violence charges. The actor/singer, whose real name is Anthony Smith apparently chose not to try to negotiate a plea agreement with prosecutors in the criminal case. He pled no contest to possession of an assault weapon and corporal injury to a spouse charges.

The charges involve allegations of a domestic incident that occurred June 18. News reports do not provide details of the facts of what police believe occurred. However, during an investigation of the alleged California domestic violence incident, police claim they found an unregistered Colt AR-15 Sporter. The assault weapon was not used in the alleged domestic violence incident.

The rapper left it to the court as to what the sentence would be in the no contest plea. The judge pronounced sentence at the same hearing. The rapper was sentenced to 1 day in jail, with three years of formal probation. The rapper is required to perform 30 days of community service under the sentence. He will also have to participate in 52 weeks of anger management counseling.

Tone Loc broke into the national music scene as a rapper in the late 1980s with his double-platinum 1988 hit "Wild Thing," which reached No. 1 on the U.S. dance charts. In 1989 he released the hit "Funky Cold Medina" along with a few more singles. However in the early 1990s, he turned his attention toward acting. He has appeared in numerous films and television series, including the TV shows "Living Single" and "Chowder." He has also appeared on the big screen, including having a role in 1994's "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

Source: Los Angeles Times, "Rapper Tone Loc pleads no contest to charges," Richard Winton, Oct. 3, 2011