Nelly Arrested, Found in Possession of Ecstasy

St. Louis rapper Nelly has been arrested. The Grammy-winning music star was booked overnight by the Missouri Highway Patrol, in his hometown. Officers arrested Nelly on a failure to appear on a warrant, but when they took him into custody they allegedly found him to be in possession of multiple pills of Ecstasy.

According to Entertainment Tonight , Nelly -- whose real name is Cornell Haynes II -- was arrested after winning a jackpot at Hollywood Casino, following a background check by police, who claimed that it was necessary to do background checks on players who won large amounts of money. In addition to the aforementioned charges, Nelly was also charged with not having insurance.

In response to the arrest. Nelly's lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, has issued a statement. "Mr. Haynes was not charged with drug possession. He was arrested for 'No Proof of Insurance' from 2018 on a warrant issued December 2023 that he received no notice," the attorney stated. "Mr. Haynes was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer."

Regarding the events that led to Nelly's arrest, Rosenblum explained, "After winning several jackpots, at a venue where Mr. Haynes frequently visits and entertains at its amphitheater; instead of just supervising the transfer of Mr. Haynes' winnings, this officer felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants."

"The officer informed Mr. Haynes a background check was mandated when a player won over a certain amount; Mr. Haynes knew this to be untrue as he had won several jackpots for similar or greater amounts including one just a week prior without incident or a background check," Rosenblum continued. "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."

"This officer then conducted a search without probable cause where he claimed to have found alleged 'ecstasy' in Mr. Haynes' personal property," Rosenblum went on to state. "Under similar circumstances, assuming there was an old warrant without any notice to the individual for no proof of insurance, any other citizen would have been told to address it and allowed to go on their way."

Rosenblum's statement concluded, "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. 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."