Rapper Nelly Arrested, Charged with Possession of Illegal Drugs, His Lawyer Says Case Will Be Dropped

Rapper Nelly was arrested Wednesday morning at a St. Louis casino, and the Missouri Highway Patrol said an officer found 4 illegal ecstasy pills on him. The rapper’s attorney said an “overzealous” officer targeted him and conducted an improper search.

The arrest occurred around 4:45 a.m., and Nelly, 49, was detained and later released by police in Maryland Heights, Missouri, the patrol said in a temporary online report. The St. Louis suburb is home to the Hollywood Casino and Hotel, and Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said in an announcement Wednesday night that the rapper, who grew up in the realm, often visits.

Online Missouri court records show Nelly, whose birth name is Cornell Haynes II, was cited in June 2018 in Maryland Heights for driving without proper proof of insurance. A judge issued the order in December 2023, and the case stays pending.

Rosenblum said Nelly had won several casino jackpots and when he went to gather them, the officer who would have supervised the transaction “unnecessarily” conducted a seek for arrest warrants. When the officer found the unpaid warrant, he handcuffed Nelly’s hands behind his back and “felt obligated” to “walk him through the casino in front of other patrons,” Rosenblum said.

Nelly’s attorney called what the officer found “allegedly ‘ecstasy'” and said the officer lacked probable cause to justify searching him. Nelly was not notified of the warrant and didn’t find out about it, Rosenblum said.

“I am 100 percent certain this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be asking for an investigation into this officer’s conduct.”

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The Highway Patrol report didn’t provide any details concerning the arrest, and Maryland Heights police didn’t reply to a request for comment Wednesday.

Rosenblum said that in similar circumstances, “any other citizen would have been told to deal with it and allowed to move on.”

Nelly, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is understood for hits like “Hot in Herre” and “Just A Dream.” He has had 4 No. 1 hits and won nine Billboard Music Awards. He recently wrapped up a run of performances with Janet Jackson as a special guest on her tour.

In 2002, he won Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Male Rap Solo Performance, and his “Nellyville” was nominated for each Best Rap Album and Album of the Year that very same 12 months. He also won a Grammy the next 12 months for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Shake Ya Tailfeather”.

In addition to his recording profession, Nelly has appeared in quite a few movies and tv series, including the sports film The Longest Yard and a BET reality series starring his family. The entertainer announced in April that he was engaged to singer-actress Ashanti, and the couple is expecting a baby.

In April 2015, Nelly was arrested and charged with drug offenses in Tennessee after the bus he was traveling in was stopped east of Nashville by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and managed to have his record expunged after lower than a 12 months of probation.

Nelly was also arrested in October 2017 in Auburn, Washington, south of Seattle, after a girl accused him of sexually assaulting her on a tour bus. Rosenblum said on the time that the accusations were fabricated. The woman sued Nelly, who countersued, they usually settled their legal claims in September 2018.