Nelly arrested for drug possession
Rapper Nelly was pulled over by the police in Missouri on August 8th, due to driving a vehicle without insurance. However, the arrest led to officials discovering he was also in possession of ecstasy pills at the time.
Following the arrest, the rapper, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes, was taken into custody, but his lawyer suggested the warrant would soon be dismissed as it occurred due to “an overzealous, out-of-line officer.”
Earlier that evening, Haynes had been at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in the St. Louis area, where he reportedly enjoyed winning “several jackpots.” According to his lawyer, the officer who carried out the arrest “felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants,” which he did instead of “supervising the transfer of winnings.”
His lawyer also alleged that the officer “conducted a search without probable cause where he claimed to have found alleged ecstasy in [Nelly’s] personal property.”
He explained in a statement: “Under 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. It is also important to note that Mr. Haynes, as part of the requirements to travel internationally, is regularly asked to supply proof of no warrants. Including FBI checks. There were none.”
Adding: “I am 100 per cent confident this case will go nowhere. And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”
Elsewhere, Nelly recently confirmed his marriage to singer and actor Ashanti, who he previously broke up with in 2013 but became romantically involved again last year.
In an appearance on Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta star Rasheeda’s Boss Moves podcast last year, Haynes clarified, “Yeah, we cool again. I think it surprised both of us. It wasn’t anything that I don’t think planned. I think we were both doing pretty much what we do. Sometimes being separate you understand one another more.”
Haynes has yet to comment on the recent arrest.