Rapper Nelly was arrested for drug possession and an outstanding insurance violation in Maryland Heights, Missouri early Wednesday (August 7th).
Nelly was arrested around 4:45 a.m. at the Hollywood Casino. In a statement, Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said the artist was targeted by an “overzealous” officer who then conducted an improper search.
According to Rosenblum, Nelly had won several jackpots at the casino that night. When he went to collect his winnings, the officer supervising the money transfer “needlessly” ran a search for warrants. The officer found Nelly’s outstanding warrant for a June 2018 citation for driving without proper proof of insurance.
Rosenblum added that the officer then “felt compelled” to “parade” Nelly through the casino after cuffing his hands behind his back. A subsequent search allegedly found him in possession of four ecstasy pills.
“I am 100% confident this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.” The attorney also said that “any other citizen would have been told to address [the warrant] and allowed to go on their way.”
This isn’t Nelly’s first time running into legal trouble. In 2015, he was arrested and faced felony drug charges in Tennessee. After the felony charge was dropped, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug possession charge. The conviction was expunged from his record after less than a year of probation.
Nelly was also arrested outside of Seattle on suspicion of rape in October 2017. The woman filed a lawsuit against Nelly, who responded with a countersuit. Both suits were dropped after reaching a settlement in 2018.