A lawyer for incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne has asked a judge in Yuma County, Arizona to postpone a planned trial on weapons and drug charges until after the star has completed his current prison sentence.
The rapper - real name Dwayne Carter - is serving 12 months behind bars at New York's Rikers Island prison, after he was convicted of illegal weapons possession in an earlier case.
Yuma County Superior Court Judge Mark Wayne Reeves issued a bench warrant for his arrest on Tuesday (16Mar10) after he failed to show up for a court date in the state. The warrant relates to an incident in 2008 when border police allegedly found cocaine, ecstasy, and a handgun on Wayne's tour bus. The rapper pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The star's attorney James Tilson addressed his client's no show, telling the court the Lollipop hitmaker is "detained involuntarily in another jurisdiction."
He has now filed court papers asking authorities in Arizona to scrap plans to put the star on trial on 30 March (10) and wait until Wayne is released from prison in New York before prosecuting him in the state.
He told the court, "It does not appear that a trial will be occurring anytime within the next eight to 12 months."
The move means the hip-hop star could head back to trial as soon he is released from jail, with the possibility of landing another prison sentence.