Nelly will not be charged following his arrest for drug possession at St. Louis casino
Nelly will not be facing any criminal charges related to his drug possession arrest in August.
The rapper, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., was taken into custody at Hollywood Casino St. Louis in August. He reportedly had four ecstasy pills on him, leading to the possession charge as per an arrest report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
On Thursday, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office informed YSL News that the charges against the 50-year-old artist would be dismissed. “We don’t believe the circumstances in this case justify pressing charges,” the office stated.
At the time of the arrest, Nelly’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, claimed that the rapper was “singled out by an excessive and inappropriate officer” following his big wins at Hollywood Casino.
“Instead of simply overseeing the transfer of Mr. Haynes’ winnings, the officer felt it necessary to conduct a warrant check,” Rosenblum stated. “The officer told Mr. Haynes that a background check was required when a player wins over a certain amount. Mr. Haynes was aware that this was not the case, as he’d won substantial jackpots previously without issue.”
According to Rosenblum, the officer’s search of Nelly was done “without reasonable cause,” adding that the officer “restrained Mr. Haynes and escorted him through the casino in front of other patrons.”
This incident occurred shortly after the birth of Nelly’s son with Ashanti, marking the couple’s first child together, and just months after it was revealed that they had secretly married.
Ashanti, 44, shared with Entertainment Tonight in August that their son’s name is Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, who was born slightly early on July 18. She mentioned that Kenkaide is named after her father, explaining that “His dad named him with great pride.”