‘Cheers’ Actor to Request Counseling in Drug Case

Kelsey Grammer, a star of the long-running television show “Cheers” who faces a cocaine possession charge, is scheduled to appear in Van Nuys Municipal Court on Thursday to request placement in a drug abuse education program instead of a jail sentence.

Grammer, 34, who plays Dr. Frasier Crane, the comically egotistical psychiatrist on the popular NBC series, was charged with one felony count of possession of cocaine after his arrest April 14. Los Angeles police said he tried to dispose of about a quarter-gram of cocaine following his arrest for driving without a valid license and with expired license plate tags, and on a warrant from a previous speeding citation.

The actor is seeking the court’s permission to attend the drug abuse education program, which is offered to people charged with first-time felony drug offenses, said Rion O’Brien, a Van Nuys Municipal Court clerk. If he successfully completes the program, which lasts several months, Grammer would be eligible to have the cocaine possession case dismissed and the arrest cleared from his record after six months, O’Brien said.

The cocaine charge would otherwise carry a maximum sentence of three years in jail, but the sentence on a first offense is typically three to six months, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrew W. Diamond.