MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — A rapper and St. Louis icon was arrested Wednesday morning in St. Louis County, according to officials.
Nelly, whose birth name is Cornell Haynes II, was arrested at about 5 a.m. by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Gaming Division at the Hollywood Casino on an outstanding failure to appear warrant from 2023. A judge had issued the warrant on a citation from 2018 out of Maryland Heights for operating a vehicle without proper proof of insurance.
According to online arrest records, the 49-year-old on Wednesday was in possession of four ecstasy pills, a controlled substance and was without insurance.
Haynes' lawyer Scott Rosenblum said in a statement that Nelly had won several casino jackpots and when he sought to collect them Wednesday morning, the officer who would have supervised the transaction “needlessly” ran a search for warrants. Once the officer found the 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.
His lawyer called what the officer found “alleged ‘ecstasy’” and said the officer did not have probable cause to justify searching him. He wasn't notified of the warrant and did not know about it, Rosenblum said.
Rosenblum said that in similar circumstances, “any other citizen would have been told to address it and allowed to go on their way.
The Maryland Heights Police Department told 5 On Your Side they received Haynes from MSHP and arrested him for the warrant.
Police confirmed he has since been released from custody.
“I am 100% confident this case will go nowhere,” Rosenblum said. “And we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”
Nelly, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is known for hits like “Hot in Herre” and “Just A Dream.” He’s had four No. 1 hits and received nine Billboard Music Awards. He recently wrapped up a series of performances with Janet Jackson as a special guest on her tour.
He won Grammy Awards in 2002 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Male Solo Rap Performance, and his “Nellyville” was nominated that year for both Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. He also won a Grammy the following year for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group the following year for “Shake Ya Tailfeather.”
Beyond his recording career, Nelly has appeared in a number of films and television series, including the sports film “The Longest Yard” and a BET reality series featuring his family. The artist announced in April he was engaged to singer and actor Ashanti and the pair is expecting a baby.
In April 2015, Nelly was arrested and faced felony drug charges in Tennessee after a bus he was traveling in was pulled over east of Nashville by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was able to have his record expunged after less than a year of probation.
Nelly was also arrested in October 2017 in Auburn, Washington, south of Seattle, after a woman alleged he had sexually assaulted her on his tour bus. Rosenblum said then that the allegations were fabricated. The woman sued Nelly, who countersued, and they settled their legal claims in September 2018.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.