Nelly Arrested At Missouri Casino And Accused Of Having Ecstasy, Lawyer Says The Rapper Was Targeted

Nelly was arrested on Wednesday, August 7, but his attorney is certain the whole thing will blow over.

Source: Dana Jacobs / Getty

The musician was arrested early on Wednesday at a St. Louis-area casino, according to reports from AP .

Missouri Highway Patrol says an officer found four illegal ecstasy pills on Nelly , full name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., but his attorney attributed the arrest to an “overzealous” officer targeting his client and conducted an improper search.

The 49-year-old was arrested at about 4:45 a.m. and was held and then released by police in Maryland Heights, Missouri, the patrol said in a brief online report. In a statement Wednesday night, Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said that the rapper visits the Hollywood Casino and Hotel frequently.

Rosenblum went on to say that after Nelly won several casino jackpots and went to collect them, the officer who would have supervised the transaction “needlessly” ran a search for warrants. AP reports that Nelly was cited in June 2018 in Maryland Heights with operating a vehicle without proper proof of insurance, which a judge issued a warrant for in December 2023.

Once the officer found the musician’s outstanding warrant, he cuffed Nelly’s hands behind his back and “felt compelled” to “parade him through the casino in front of other customers,” Rosenblum said.

Nelly’s lawyer referred to what the officer found as “alleged ecstasy’” and said that the officer did not have probable cause to justify searching him. He also insists his client wasn’t notified of the warrant and did not know about it.

“I am 100% confident this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”

Meanwhile, Nelly’s wife Ashanti doesn’t seem too bothered by the arrest, taking to Instagram to share pictures from her mother’s July 13 birthday celebration on Wednesday.

“Recap Mom’s bday!!!! @theoriginalmomanger ❤️❤️❤️,” the singer wrote in her caption, tagging her mom. “This was such a special night Happy Birthday again mom, I love you more than anything. ❤️❤️🙏🏽🙏🏽 S/o to @createsmedia I loved the frames! 7/13/24.”

Some fans suspect the songstress has already had her baby, especially seeing how ready-to-pop she looked in these flicks from her mother’s birthday festivities almost a full month ago! But, whether or not she has welcomed her child yet, it’s good to see her focus on the positives after her husband’s arrest.