Grammy-winning rapper Nelly was arrested early Wednesday morning in his hometown of St. Louis on one count of possession of a controlled substance, per online records from the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes II, was reportedly gambling at Hollywood Casino and won a jackpot when an officer conducted a criminal records search on the rapper. The officer allegedly found four ecstasy pills on Nelly’s person while arresting him on charges related to a separate, allegedly outstanding warrant from 2018.
“Mr. Haynes was not charged with drug possession,” the rapper’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, told “Entertainment Tonight” in a statement Wednesday. “He was arrested for ‘No Proof of Insurance’ from 2018 on a warrant issued December 2023 that he received no notice.” (In fact, Nelly ultimately was charged with drug possession.)
“Mr. Haynes was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer,” Rosenblum said.
Rosenblum claimed his client had won “several jackpots for similar or greater amounts” at the casino before, but that the arresting officer told Nelly a background check was required “when a player won over a certain amount.”
“Once Mr. Haynes was informed of the warrant for a No Proof of Insurance infraction, this officer felt compelled to handcuff Mr. Haynes behind his back and parade him through the casino in front of other patrons,” the attorney told “ET.”
“This officer then conducted a search without probable cause where he claimed to have found alleged ‘ecstasy’ in Mr. Haynes’ personal property,” Rosenblum continued, adding that “any other citizen would have been told to address [the warrant] and allowed to go on their way.”
The casino declined to comment to HuffPost.
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Rosenblum expressed an interest in the officer involved in Nelly’s arrest.
“It is also important to note, that Mr. Haynes, as part of the requirements to travel internationally, is regularly asked to supply proof of no warrants,” the lawyer told “ET.” “Including FBI checks. There were none. I am 100% confident this case will go nowhere.”
“And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct,” he continued.
In June, it was reported that Nelly and singer Ashanti had gotten married in December 2023. Ashanti said in April that the two were expecting their first child together. She and Nelly met at the 2003 Grammy Awards and dated intermittently for about a decade, splitting in 2013 and later reconciling.