Why was Rick Ross arrested for kidnapping in Atlanta?
News out of Atlanta in June 2015 was shocking for Rick Ross fans: Rozay was locked behind bars, staring down the barrel of some very serious charges.
Details of the arrest, reported by multiple outlets at the time, were dramatic. It was said that Ross was nabbed during the morning of June 24, outside his home in Fayette County, Georgia. Fayette County sits within the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area, south of Atlanta city itself.
The US marshals service fugitive taskforce and deputies had shown up to Ross’ property, where they were initially refused entry at the gate. They took it upon themselves to open this gate up, which they did successfully, before proceeding to the door of the house. Someone inside duly opened up, avoiding the need for the cops to break it down.
Ross was arrested, but he wasn’t alone. A man reported to be his bodyguard was also picked up by the authorities. Both men were taken into custody, where they faced down charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
The allegations related to an incident that had supposedly occurred a couple of weeks before the arrest. TMZ reported that Ross had gotten into it with a man employed to work on his home. The situation apparently deteriorated.
A confrontation broke out, which allegedly led to Ross pistol-whipping the worker. He then apparently wouldn’t let this person leave the property, hence the kidnapping charge.
Ross was eventually released on bond, which, if he were to violate it, would reportedly have meant he’d have to give up ownership of his property in Fayette County. It never came to that, in the end.
Ross was formally indicted on nine counts in 2016, although he claimed that he had been acting in self-defence. By the following year, in April 2017, a resolution was arrived at. A plea deal was struck, in which Ross pleaded no contest to a felony count of aggravated assault. The other felony charges he’d been facing, meanwhile, were dropped.
Ross was ordered to cough up a $10,000 fine, while he was also reported to have been placed on probation for 60 months. Once the fine was paid, the conviction was removed from his record.