Rapper Nelly was arrested Wednesday morning at a St. Louis-area casino, and the Missouri Highway Patrol said an officer found four illegal ecstasy pills on him. The rapper’s attorney said an “overzealous” officer singled him out and conducted an improper search.
The arrest occurred around 4:45 a.m. and Nelly, 49, was detained and then released by police in Maryland Heights, Missouri, the patrol said in a brief online report. The St. Louis suburb is home to the Hollywood Casino and Hotel, and Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said in a statement Wednesday night that the rapper, who grew up in the neighborhood, frequents the area.
Online Missouri court records show that Nelly, whose birth name is Cornell Haynes II, was cited in Maryland Heights in June 2018 for operating a vehicle without valid proof of insurance. A judge issued a 2023 warrant in December, which remains outstanding.
Rosenblum said Nelly had won multiple casino jackpots and when he went to cash them, the agent who was supposed to be overseeing the transaction “unnecessarily” conducted a search for warrants. When the agent found the outstanding warrant, he cuffed Nelly’s hands behind his back and “felt compelled” to “parade him around the casino in front of other patrons,” Rosenblum said.
Nelly’s attorney called what the officer found “alleged ‘ecstasy'” and said the officer had no probable cause to search him. Nelly was not notified of the warrant and knew nothing about it, Rosenblum said.
“I am 100 percent confident that this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be asking for an investigation into the conduct of this officer.”
The highway patrol report did not provide details about the arrest, and Maryland Heights police did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Rosenblum said that in similar circumstances, “any other citizen would have been asked to address the problem and allowed to go on their way.”
Nelly, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is known for hits such as “Hot in Herre” and “Just A Dream.” He has had four No. 1 hits and received nine Billboard Music Awards. He recently closed a series of performances with Janet Jackson as a special guest on her tour.
He won Grammy Awards in 2002 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Male Solo Rap Performance, and his “Nellyville” was nominated that year for both Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. He also won a Grammy the following year for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group the following year for “Shake Ya Tailfeather.”
In addition to his recording career, Nelly has appeared in a number of films and television series, including the sports film “The Longest Yard” and a BET reality series featuring his family. The artist announced in April that he concerned to singer and actor Ashanti and the couple are expecting a baby.
In April 2015, Nelly was arrested and charged with drug possession in Tennessee after a bus he was traveling in was pulled over by the Tennessee Highway Patrol east of Nashville. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was able to have his record expunged after less than a year of probation.
Nelly was also arrested in October 2017 in Auburn, Washington, south of Seattle, after a woman alleged that he assaulted her on his tour bus. Rosenblum then said the allegations were fabricated. The woman sued Nelly, who countersued, and they settled their legal claims in September 2018.
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Ballentine reported from Columbia, Missouri, and Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Kaitlyn Huamani in Los Angeles also contributed.