Rapper Nelly arrested after fan claims she was raped aboard tour bus
Award-winning rapper Nelly has been arrested after a woman accused him of raping her on his tour bus in a town outside Seattle, an accusation the Grammy winner’s lawyer staunchly denies.
Auburn police spokesman Commander Steve Stocker said Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr, was in jail on Saturday after being arrested at 4:37am in his tour bus at a Walmart.
Police said in a statement the woman called 911 to report being sexually assaulted by Nelly on the tour bus.
He will have his first appearance before a judge “at some point”, Mr Stocker said.
The rapper says he’s innocent, adding on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Nelly_Mo/status/916788420109778944
“I will pursue every legal option to address this defaming claim,” he added.
Nelly performed at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington, on Friday night. At 12:23 am Saturday, after that show, he sent out a tweet that said in part: “its (sic) really you against the whole world because the whole world don’t know you exist”.
Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, called the rape claim a “completely fabricated allegation”.
“Our initial investigation clearly establishes this allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once this scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges,” Mr Rosenblum said.
“Nelly is prepared to address and pursue all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.”
Nelly is a three-time Grammy winner, including for the song Hot in Herre, which won the best male rap solo performance award in 2002.
Nelly is also known for the hits My Place and Over and Over.
He appeared in the 2005 film The Longest Yard alongside Adam Sandler.
The following year he shared a Grammy for the song Shake Ya Tailfeather with Murphy Lee and Sean Combs.
Nelly is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team.