Cee Lo Green, the singer famous for hit songs "Forget You" and "Crazy" in addition to being a coach of NBC's "The Voice, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge for slipping the drug Ecstasy to a woman during dinner, as reported by CNN. Green, however, will not face sexual assault charges after prosecutors concluded there was not enough evidence to take the accusation by the same woman to court, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Green appeared in court Monday to be arraigned on charge of "furnishing a controlled substance," which carries a potential sentence of up to four years in prison.
Following his not guilty plea, the judge accepted the prosecutors' recommendation to set his bond at $30,000, ordering him to return to court on November 20, CNN also reported.
Prosecutors contend that Green slipped the Ecstasy drug to a 33-year-old woman while they were having dinner on either July 13 of July 14, 2012. Back at the the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles, the woman initially accused Green of sexually assaulting her. But in their statement on Monday, prosecutors dropped the charge of rape of an intoxicated person, citing insufficient evidence, CNN reported.
"Mr. Green encouraged a full and complete investigation of those claims, and he was confident once conducted, he would be cleared of having any wrongful intent and it would be established that any relations were consensual. CeeLo had faith that if the true facts were known, the district attorney would reject those charges," said Blair Berk, the singer's' defense attorney in a statement.
"The evidence did not support the false and unfounded claims made over a year ago," Berk added.
The five-time Grammy award-winner become a mega-star as part of the duo Gnarls Barkley, and also as a solo performer.
"The Voice" remains NBC's best-rated show in 2012, outside of NFL footbal, according to the Nielsen ratings. The network declined to comment on Green's future with the show, news reports said.
