Nelly has a bit of a dilemma on her hands: a showdown with the St. Louis police.
The “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma” rapper was arrested in his home state early Wednesday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Police arrested the 49-year-old musician at a St. Louis-area casino where he was allegedly carrying four ecstasy pills.
Nelly (real name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.) was stopped and released by police in Maryland Heights, a city northwest of St. Louis. The Highway Patrol database also includes a citation for operating a vehicle without proof of proper insurance, although Nelly was initially issued this citation in June 2018 in Maryland Heights. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest in December 2023, which remains outstanding.
Scott Rosenblum, a legal representative for Nelly, said the Grammy winner had won several casino jackpots and that when he tried to cash them out, the officer who allegedly oversaw the transaction “unnecessarily” conducted a search for warrants. Once the officer found the outstanding warrant, he handcuffed Nelly’s hands behind his back and “felt compelled” to “parade him around the casino in front of other patrons,” Rosenblum said.
Rosenblum also argued that the police officer did not have probable cause to justify searching Nelly. The rapper, who is expecting a child with singer Ashanti, was not notified of the warrant and did not know anything about it, Rosenblum said.
“I'm 100 percent confident that this case is not going anywhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be calling for an investigation into the conduct of this officer.”
Rosenblum did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment.
Nelly's arrest comes months after legal documents from the St. Louis County Recorder's database revealed that he and Ashanti (full name Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas) were married on Dec. 27, 2023.
In April, the “Baby” singer, 43, confirmed speculation that she is starting a family with Nelly.
“This new year of my life is a blessing filled with love, hope and anticipation,” Ashanti told Essence in April. “Motherhood is something I’ve been looking forward to, and sharing this with my family, my fiancé and my loyal fans who have been so supportive of my career is an incredible experience.”
The two musicians gave love another shot last year after dating on and off for about 11 years before splitting in 2013. The baby will be Ashanti's first and Nelly's fifth. He shares a daughter, Chanelle, 30, and a son, Cornell, 25, with ex-girlfriend Channetta Valentine. He also adopted his late sister Jackie Donahue's two children, after she died of leukemia in 2005.
Nelly had already had run-ins with law enforcement. In April 2015, he was arrested and faced felony drug charges in Tennessee. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and had his record expunged after less than a year of probation.
Two years later, he was arrested in Auburn, Washington, after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her on his tour bus. The woman sued Nelly, who returned the suit. The case was settled in September 2018.
Earlier this year, Nelly took the stage with Janet Jackson as part of her Together Again tour, which included six shows in California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
