Nelly off the hook: No criminal charges for rapper after ecstasy possession arrest
Grammy-winning rapper Nelly will no longer be prosecuted over the ecstasy possession claims. The prosecutors' office attributed the dismissal to limited facts.
Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes II, has been let off easy following his August arrest for drug possession - ecstasy. Prosecutors are reportedly not pressing any charges against the rapper.
“We don't believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charge,” Chris King, a St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, told TMZ Hip Hop on Wednesday, November 13. Meanwhile, Scott Rosenblum, the “Country Grammar” rapper's attorney, explained that after a “fair and impartial review of the evidence,” prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell and his office decided against issuing any charges.
Why was Nelly arrested?
The Grammy-winning musician was arrested early on August 7, the same day he won several jackpots at Hollywood Casino & Hotel in Maryland Heights, Missouri. An officer assigned to the casino told Nelly that a warrant search is pushed for when someone wins over a certain amount of money. Although Nelly's attorney said that no such warrant is required, a deeper investigation revealed that a judge had issued a warrant in December, which tracked back to a 2018 citation for operating a vehicle without proof of insurance.
The warrant ultimately led the trooper to allegedly find four ecstasy pills in Nelly's possession and his subsequent arrest. As for the insurance issue, Rosenblum said the charge was resolved after his client handed over proof that he had it.
This is a developing story.