After his arrest for drug possession at a St. Louis casino, Nelly will not face charges.
The “Ride Wit Me” rapper was arrested in August at Hollywood Casino St. Louis on a controlled substance charge after police allegedly found him with four ecstasy pills, according to an online arrest report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Months after the incident, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY that the charges would be dropped. “We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges,” the office said in a statement.
Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, argued that the rapper was “targeted by an overzealous, out-of-line officer” after winning several jackpots at the casino. Rosenblum claimed the officer, instead of simply handling Nelly’s winnings, insisted on a background check, citing a supposed requirement for players winning over a certain amount—a rule that Rosenblum said was false.
Following a warrant check, Rosenblum stated, the officer searched Nelly “without probable cause,” handcuffed him, and “paraded him through the casino” in front of other patrons.
The arrest occurred just after the birth of Nelly’s first child with Ashanti. The couple secretly married earlier in the year, and Ashanti, 44, shared with Entertainment Tonight in August that their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, was born on July 18, slightly ahead of schedule. Kenkaide is Ashanti’s father’s name, a choice she said was made with “a lot of pride.”
This news brings a welcome relief for Nelly, 50, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.
