Las Vegas Metropolitan Police DepartmentMaybe figuring it had already been quite a day, a Las Vegas judge has let Marion "Suge" Knight off the hook.
Battery and drug-possession charges against the former Death Row Records honcho were dismissed Friday after prosecutors informed the court that they were having evidence-gathering troubles and "witness problems."
Knight was charged Nov. 18 with two felonies and one misdemeanor for allegedly smacking around his girlfriend while driving down the famed Vegas Strip—with Ecstasy and hydrocodone in the car—on Aug. 27, according to authorities.
Police said that they witnessed the unseated rap mogul roughing up his lady friend, Melissa Isaacs, who was afterward treated at a nearby hospital for unspecified injuries.
The charges were dismissed "without prejudice," however, meaning the Clark County District Attorney's Office can reopen the case at a later time.
UPDATE (Feb. 18, 2009 at 4:11 p.m. PT): The case was reopened and on Feb. 17 Knight pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for the attack. Felony drug and coercion charges were dismissed, and Knight was ordered to get counseling and pay a $340 fine. He's due back in court in August for a status hearing.