HURLEY, N.Y. (AP) – Folk-rock legend Art Garfunkel apparently is contesting a marijuana possession charge he faces in upstate New York.
Settling the matter Wednesday could have been as easy as paying a $100 fine, but instead a judge set a Feb. 11 hearing after Garfunkel’s attorney Michael Federoff appeared in court.
Federoff declined to discuss the case and a call to a publicist for Garfunkel was not immediately returned Wednesday night.
Garfunkel, 62, of Manhattan, was charged with marijuana possession Jan. 17 after state police stopped his limousine for speeding in Hurley, 55 miles southwest of Albany.
Police said a trooper smelled marijuana when he approached the limo and found 6 grams of marijuana in Garfunkel’s jacket pocket. Garfunkel faces up to a $100 fine, unless he has had a criminal conviction in the past three years. Authorities won’t say whether he has a prior record.
Garfunkel recently completed a U.S. concert tour with Paul Simon, their first in 20 years. Simon and Garfunkel produced a string of hits in the 1960s, including ”The Sound of Silence,” ”Mrs. Robinson,” ”Old Friends” and ”The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).”