Eminem Sentenced

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/13/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

A Michigan judge on Tuesday sentenced Eminem, 28, to two years' probation . . . and also ordered the hip-hop superstar to undergo counseling and drug testing, reports the Associated Press. Eminem could have faced five years in prison for the charge of carrying a concealed weapon, which stemmed from a June 4, 2000, incident in which he was arrested in a suburban Detroit parking lot. Police say Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, struck a man he says he saw kissing his estranged wife, Kim. "The weapon was not loaded, and there was no direct danger to human life," said Judge Antonio Viviano, who had agreed to accept a pre-sentencing report that recommended the controversial, Grammy-winning rapper receive zero to three months in jail. On the advice of his legal team, Eminem made no statement in court.