Hot in Herre: Nelly Arrested for Possession of Ecstasy Months Before Birth of First Child

Nelly was arrested for alleged possession of four ecstasy pills during a late-night gambling spree in a casino.

RadarOnline.com can confirm the 49-year-old rapper, born Cornell Haynes II, was at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles, Missouri, when a police officer ran a background check on him, leading to his arrest.

Online police records show the Grammy-winning artist — who is expecting his first child with wife Ashanti, 43 — was charged with possession of a controlled substance . He was booked at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday morning and later released the same day.

In a statement provided to Page Six, the Missouri Police Department said that the background check ran is “standard” for their department.

The PD claims they found an outstanding warrant for lack of insurance from a past traffic stop, which justified the search.

Following his arrest, RadarOnline.com obtained a statement from Nelly's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, that claimed he was "not charged with drug possession" at all, but for "no proof of insurance."

The statement read: "Mr. Haynes was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer. 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. 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. 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."

The statement concluded: "I am 100% confident this case will go nowhere. And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer's conduct."

The artist's arrest comes ahead of the arrival of his first child with the Rock Wit U singer. As previously reported, the couple rekindled their romance in April 2023, tying the knot in December.

Speaking with Essence Mag in April 2024, the two revealed they were expecting, with Ashanti saying: “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation.”

She added: “Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”

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