New York court judge exonerates Chinese comedian of weapon, drug charges

A New York state judge ruled on Monday that Chinese comedian Zhou Libo was exonerated of weapon and drug charges.

Teresa K. Corrigan, Acting Supreme Court Justice, announced the decision at the Nassau County Court in the US state of New York.

Zhou, together with his wife and lawyers, appeared at the hearing session on Monday. Zhou was charged with illegal possession of a handgun, possession of a controlled substance identified as crystal methamphetamine and driving while using a cellphone.

The court dismissed the weapon and drug charges. Meanwhile, Zhou pleaded guilty of the charge of traffic violation.

Stephen Scaring, the defendant lawyer, said after the hearing that they were satisfied with the ruling and would not file further appeals.

"We are pleased with the results ... the only charge that remain is a minor traffic infraction. It was not in his best interest to go to trial on that, we need to bring this thing to a conclusion," said Scaring.

On January 19, 2017, Zhou Libo was stopped by police in the town of Lattingtown, New York, for his abnormal driving behavior. The police later found a black pistol holster, a pistol and a loaded magazine, and two transparent plastic bags containing drugs in his vehicle.

Zhou was arrested on the spot and was released on bail the next day.

Zhou Libo is a Chinese talkshow host and comedian. He became the first non-musical Chinese artist to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York in July 2016.