ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rapper Nelly won't face drug charges following his arrest this summer at a St. Louis-area casino, a prosecutor said.
“We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement Tuesday.
Nelly, 49, whose birth name is Cornell Haynes II, grew up in the area. His lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, has said the search that led to Nelly's August arrest was unwarranted.
Bell’s office didn’t elaborate on why the decision was made to not file charges. Rosenblum said in an email Wednesday that Bell's decision followed “a fair and impartial review of the evidence.”
Nelly was arrested at 4:45 a.m. Aug. 7 as he sought to collect several jackpots he won at Hollywood Casino & Hotel in Maryland Heights, Missouri. A trooper assigned to the casino told Nelly that a warrant search is required when a gambler wins more than a certain amount of money. Rosenblum said no such warrant check is required.
The background check showed that a judge issued a warrant in December over a 2018 citation for operating a vehicle without proof of insurance. Because of the outstanding warrant, Nelly was arrested and searched. That's when the officer allegedly found four ecstasy pills. Police had sought a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance.
Meanwhile, the insurance charge has been resolved. Rosenblum said it was dismissed after Nelly provided proof that he has car insurance.
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 also has appeared in several films and TV series.
Nelly 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.”
This story was updated to correct the spelling of “Hot in Herre.”
Nelly arrives at the Baby2Baby Gala on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Nelly arrives at the Baby2Baby Gala on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.
It is part of the police’s Vala Umgodi, or Close the Hole, operation, which includes cutting off miners’ supplies to force them to return to the surface and be arrested.
North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone said information received from those who recently helped bring three miners to the surface indicated that as many as 4,000 miners may be underground. Police have not provided an official estimate.
In the past few weeks, over 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in North West province, with many reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going for weeks without basic supplies.
Police continue on Thursday to guard areas around the mine to catch all those appearing from underground.
Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Wednesday that the government would not send any help to the illegal miners because they are involved in a criminal act.
“We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped. We didn’t send them there," Ntshavheni said.
Illegal mining remains common in South Africa's old gold-mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to dig for any possible remaining deposits.
The illegal miners are often from neighboring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.
Their presence in closed mines have also created problems with nearby communities, which complain that the illegal miners commit crimes ranging from robberies to rape.
Illegal mining groups are known to be heavily armed and disputes between rival groups sometimes result in fatal confrontations.
Police patrol at a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Wednesday, Nov.13, 2024. (AP Photo)
Relatives of miners and community members wait at a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Wednesday, Nov.13, 2024. (AP Photo)
An aerial view of a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Wednesday, Nov.13, 2024. (AP Photo)
