Girlicious singer pleads not guilty to felony cocaine possession

Pop singer Natalie Mejia pleaded not guilty on Monday to a felony charge of cocaine possession related to her March arrest in Glendale, court officials said.

Mejia, 22, had entered a similar plea in the weeks after her arrest, but a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said the singer’s arraignment on Monday meant prosecutors thought there was enough evidence for her to stand trial.

Mejia was a contestant on the 2008 CW reality show, “Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious,” beating out other contestants to become a member of the all-girl group.

Mejia and Burbank resident Peter Asencio, 28, were arrested March 9 after he was stopped for allegedly speeding at Victory Boulevard and Winchester Avenue just before getting onto the Ventura (134) Freeway.

During the traffic stop, Glendale police discovered that Asencio’s driver’s license was suspended and consequently searched the car, officials said. During the search, police allegedly found small baggies of cocaine in Mejia’s Gucci purse.

Asencio told police that he put the drugs in her purse in an attempt hide them and didn’t think her purse would be searched, police said, but both were arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale.