LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. rocker Scott Weiland pleaded innocent on Wednesday to driving under the influence of drugs, a charge stemming from his November arrest on a Los Angeles freeway onramp.

The 40-year-old singer for the band Velvet Revolver was not in court but entered his plea to the misdemeanor charge through a defense attorney.

Weiland is free on $40,000 bail and was due back in court for a pretrial hearing on April 4.

If convicted he faces up to one year in jail because he has a prior conviction for driving under the influence, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.

Weiland, who first gained fame as lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots, was stopped by police on November 21 while driving onto the Hollywood Freeway. He was taken into custody after refusing to take a sobriety test.