DA: Flavor Flav Indicted on Speeding, Suspended License Charges

Rapper Flavor Flav was indicted Wednesday on speeding and suspended license charges after he was pulled over on his way to his mother’s funeral last year, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, was charged with speeding over 55 mph and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first, second and third degrees, the DA said. He was conditionally released on probation and is due back in court Feb. 3.

If he is convicted of the top charge, Flav could face up to four years in prison, the DA said.

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The 55-year-old Long Island native was busted Jan. 9, 2014 after being stopped for speeding on the Meadowbrook State Parkway, officials said. State troopers said they clocked Flav’s Hyundai at 79 mph near the Southern State Parkway and pulled him over in Hempstead at about 9:30 a.m.

During the stop, troopers discovered Flav’s license had been suspended 15 times and reported that he smelled of marijuana, the DA said. 

“Drayton was released on an appearance ticket in order to allow him to attend his mother’s funeral,” State Police said in a statement that day. He had tweeted on New Year’s Eve that his mother, Anna Drayton, had passed away.

The 2014 arrest was one of many in Flav’s history, which includes domestic violence, robbery, cocaine and marijuana charges, as well as attempted murder in 1993.

Born and raised in Freeport, Flav developed a love of music at an early age and while attending Adelphi University, met Carlton Ridenhour, better known as Chuck D. The two would join rappers Terminator X and Professor Grif to create Public Enemy.

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