Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

PRESS RELEASE - March 4, 2009 - Atlanta, Ga.

Georgia Felony Charges Dropped Against Hip-Hop Star Lil Wayne

Yesterday afternoon, Hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne had a pending drug possession charge dismissed by a Fulton County, Georgia, judge. The case began in August of 2006, from an arrest of Lil Wayne (real name: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.) at a hotel room of Twelve Hotel at Atlantic Station in downtown Atlanta.

The pre-trial motion hearing that ultimately resulted in the dismissal of the case was held in November 2008, but the final order of Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson was not ruled upon and filed until yesterday. The order found that Atlanta police entered the entertainer's hotel room illegally, and without a warrant. Based on the illegal search and seizure, all evidence was excluded and the prosecution could not be sustained against him.

Carter's attorney, William C. Head of Atlanta, utilized a forensic computer expert from Massachusetts, Thomas H. Workman, Jr., to analyze the digital computer records of Twelve Hotel to prove that no "service call" was automatically generated by the high-tech hotel control system, as claimed by the hotel employees. The claimed malfunction was the justification for the hotel service worker to enter Room 402 of the Twelve Hotel on August 14. That hotel employee reported a large quantity of marijuana inside the room, but no such package was ever recovered by police.

At the outset of the prosecution, Carter's attorney stated at a press conference that the search of this room was illegal. Tuesday's court order was the final vindication of that felony possession claim against Lil Wayne by the Fulton County District Attorney. "The judge found that the testimony of the Prosecution's witnesses lacked credibility, because the various accounts of what happened and when these things happened simply did not match up," stated Mr. Head. "In addition, we proved that the room entered and searched was not even occupied by Wayne, but was a room for maintaining his extensive wardrobe and for his hairstylist to utilize during the time multiple promotional videos were being shot by a studio in Atlanta during August of 2006," stated the Atlanta criminal defense attorney.

When asked about other pending charges against the award-winning entertainer in New York and Arizona, Head deferred any questions about those open cases to the attorneys handling his defense. "I have not been asked to handle any aspect of those cases, and would only say that Wayne is innocent until proven guilty. Just like in this case, if misconduct or an arbitrary, warrantless search led to an arrest, those cases may result in similar outcomes"

When the decision was filed, Carter was in California for several media events and was not available for comment.

Contact: William C. Head at wchead@hotmail.com or 404-316-6324

Information on Attorney William C. Head: http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/30328-ga-william-head-478108.html and http://www.superlawyers.com/georgia/lawyer/William-C-Head/87563592-8396-41ec-a828-a34dcbd867a3.html

Tessa Komer

Publicity Director

William C. Head

Atlanta, GA

404-250-1113

404-250-1494

First Url: Top Trial Attorney

Second Url: Georgia Superlawyers