51黑料

鲍笔顿础罢贰:听Nelly won鈥檛 face drug charges, 51黑料 County prosecuting attorney鈥檚 office confirms

The rapper, whose birth name is Cornell Haynes II, had won several jackpots before the arrest, his longtime attorney Scott Rosenblum said in a statement Wednesday night. The Missouri Highway Patrol officer overseeing the payout ran his name for warrants, Rosenblum said.

While the officer told Nelly the warrant run was required when a player won more than a certain amount of money, Rosenblum said Nelly 鈥渒new this to be untrue鈥� because he had collected several jackpots, some greater than his Wednesday鈥檚 winnings, without a background check.

鈥淢r. Haynes was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer,鈥� Rosenblum wrote in his statement. 鈥淎fter winning several jackpots, at a venue where Mr. Haynes frequently visits and entertains at its amphitheater; instead of just supervising the transfer of Mr. Haynes鈥� winnings, this officer felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants.鈥�

MHP spokesperson Cpl. Logan Bolton declined to comment Thursday on Rosenblum鈥檚 allegations and said the agency won鈥檛 release further statements on the incident.

Nelly was arrested at the casino about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to police.

He had a warrant for a charge of not having proof of vehicle insurance, according to the Maryland Heights Police Department. Nelly was charged with driving without insurance in June 2018, according to online court records.

The only other entry in the case is a Dec. 14, 2023, declaring the case in 鈥渨arrant status.鈥�

While arresting him on that warrant, officers said they searched him and found what they believed were four pills of ecstasy, an illegal drug. Rosenblum said they handcuffed him and 鈥減araded鈥� the rapper through the casino in front of other patrons.

鈥淯nder similar circumstances, assuming there was an old warrant without any notice to the individual for no proof of insurance, any other citizen would have been told to address it and allowed to go on their way,鈥� Rosenblum said, adding that Nelly often submits to background checks while traveling internationally.

Nelly was taken to the Maryland Heights Police Department. He was released later on Wednesday.

Rosenblum said he is confident the case will go nowhere and that he will request an investigation into the officer鈥檚 conduct.

MHP said charges for felony possession of a controlled substance will be submitted to the 51黑料 County prosecuting attorney鈥檚 office.

Nelly grew up in the 51黑料 area and got involved with the music scene in the 1990s. He later released hits like 鈥淗ot in Herre鈥� and 鈥淩ide Wit Me.鈥�

The rapper has had a few run-ins with the law before Wednesday. He was arrested in 2015 after authorities said they found marijuana on his tour bus in Tennessee. Nelly pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, but that was later cleared from his criminal record after he completed a diversion program.

The following year, TMZ reported he owed more than $2 million to the IRS.