Judge says Meek will stay jailed

A JUDGE HAS ruled rapper Meek Mill should remain behind bars while appealing a prison sentence for violating probation, saying the rapper’s drug use, arrests and other issues while under supervision merited the jail time.

Judge Genece Brinkley turned down Mill’s bid for release on bail while he appeals the two- to fouryear sentence she issued for what she said was his fifth probation violation.

The Philadelphia judge also defended herself against attacks by Mill’s legal and public relations team, which continued after her latest decision.

Brinkley said in a lengthy opinion that jail time was warranted because during probation, Mill, 30, tested positive for opiates, got arrested in St. Louis and New York and made travel or performance plans without getting the required approval.

Brinkley’s opinion on Thursday followed Mill’s various motions for her recusal and his appeal of her sentence to Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, was sentenced in November to two to four years in prison for violating probation stemming from a 2008 drug and weapon possession conviction — for which he previously served eight months.