Charges dropped against Nelly after St. Louis casino arrest

Nelly will not be facing charges after his August arrest for drug possession.
The rapper, born Cornell Haynes Jr., was arrested after a visit to Hollywood Casino St. Louis in August. He was charged at the time with possession of a controlled substance after police allegedly found him with four ecstasy pills, according to an online arrest report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told USA TODAY on Thursday that the charges against Nelly, 50, would be dropped. “We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.
In a statement to USA TODAY at the time of his arrest, Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, alleged the singer was “targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer” after winning several jackpots at Hollywood Casino.
Nelly arrested, allegedly ‘targeted’with drug possession charge after casino outing
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“Instead of just supervising the transfer of Mr. Haynes’ winnings, this officer felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants,” Rosenblum said. “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.”
Rosenblum said the officer’s search of Nelly following the discovery of his warrant was conducted “without probable cause,” adding that the officer “handcuff(ed) Mr. Haynes behind his back and parade(d) him through the casino in front of other patrons.”
The arrest came just after the birth of Nelly’s son with Ashanti, the couple’s first, and months after the revelation that the couple secretly married.
Ashanti and Nellyannounce birth of their first baby together
Ashanti, 44, told Entertainment Tonight in August that their baby boy’s name is Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, and he was born a little ahead of schedule on July 18. Kenkaide is Ashanti’s dad’s name, she explained. “His dad named him with a lot of pride,” she told the outlet.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson