Juvenile
has pleaded not guilty to various assault charges, stemming
from a March incident where the the Cash Money Millionaire
allegedly knocked a man out and sent him to the hospital,
after striking him over the head with a champagne bottle.
Juvenile, who
is 26, filed a written plea instead of appearing in person
for an arraignment.
On March 28th,
Juvenile got involved in a heated discussion with Jackson
Saint Ange, 28, at the Improv Comedy Club located at 2911
Grand Ave. According to witnesses, Gray and Saint Ange began
fighting around 12:30 a.m. Juvenile then struck Saint Ange
over the head with the bottle. Saint Ange was treated and
released.
After pleading
not guilty, his lawyer released the following statement:
"Juvenile is a young, hardworking, extremely talented
and gifted artist who is beginning to enjoy the fruits of
his hard work and talent. Juvenile regrets any incident
that may have occurred on March 28, 2001. It is unfortunate
that some people seek to cash in on celebrities in the hopes
of gaining fame, fortune and notoriety. Because of the status
that he enjoys, Juvenile is extremely vulnerable to this
type of incident. … Juvenile and his attorneys are confident
that his innocence will be conclusively established in a
court of law and he will be vindicated by a jury of Miami-Dade
County citizens."
In more positive
Cash Money news, the label has signed their first R&B
act, Official. Official, who hail from Philadelphia, will
drop their first Cash Money release "Telling Our
Story" August 8th. The group will be shooting the
video for their first single, "Anything You Want"
later this month.