Taboo pleads not guilty to pot charges

Los Angeles -- Black Eyed Peas performer Taboo has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor marijuana charges stemming from a DUI arrest in March in a Los Angeles suburb.

City of Industry police took the hip-hop star into custody March 11 following a car crash. Officers determined Taboo, real name Jaime Luis Gomez, was under the influence and searched his vehicle, finding less than an ounce of marijuana and a drug for which he did not have a prescription, E! News reported Tuesday.

Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman, said prosecutors opted to charged the 31-year-old rapper with possession of marijuana while driving and possession of 28.5 grams or less of marijuana. The charges were filed May 11.

Gomez entered his plea Friday through his attorney.

The Black Eyed Peas are taking a break while Pea member Stacey Ann "Fergie" Ferguson is on the road promoting her debut solo album, "The Dutchess." The group is to reconvene July 7 for the Live Earth concert.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.