Boy George arraigned on narcotics charge

NEW YORK (AP) _ A lawyer for Boy George is denying that drugs found in the British singer's apartment belonged to him. <br/><br/>Authorities said the singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was

Saturday, October 8th 2005, 11:32 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ A lawyer for Boy George is denying that drugs found in the British singer's apartment belonged to him.

Authorities said the singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was arraigned on drug charges early Saturday.

He had called 911 to report that his home had been burglarized around 3 a.m. Friday, said Detective Kevin Czartoryski, a police spokesman.

Officers arrived at O'Dowd's apartment and discovered a small amount of cocaine next to a computer, police said. They were continuing to investigate.

The singer was released Saturday without bail after being charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, allegedly more than an eighth of an ounce of cocaine, said Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's office. He was scheduled to return to court on Dec. 19.

``It was a small amount of drugs,'' lawyer Lou Freeman told the New York Post for Saturday editions. ``He does not know where it came from. He's had a lot of people in his house.''

``A man who has something to hide does not call police,'' he said.

It is not the first time that Boy George has had problems with drugs.

In 1986, the singer was convicted for heroin possession in England. Two of his friends overdosed in the incident and O'Dowd was forced into a rehabilitation program. The conviction led to the disintegration of his group, Culture Club, one year later.

Boy George, famous for his androgynous persona, and Culture Club had hits including ``Karma Chameleon'' and ``Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.''