Nelly Arrested in St. Louis Area as He's Accused of Ecstasy Possession and Lack of Insurance: Police

Mar. 15, 2025

Nelly’s 2024 mugshot.Photo:Maryland Heights Police Department

Maryland Heights Police Department

Nellyhas been arrested.

Despite the arrest record showing otherwise, Nelly’s lawyer claimed the artist was “not charged with drug possession.”

Attorney Scott Rosenblum claims that “any other citizen” would have been “told to address it and allowed to go on their way” for having no proof of insurance but the officer, who has not been named, was “overzealous” and acted “out of line.” Rosenblum claimed the officer conducted a “search without probable cause” and added they will request an inquiry into the officer’s conduct.

Nelly performs at the ACM Awards.FOX

FOX

This is not the “Hot in Herre” musician’s first brush with the law — he’s faced multiple sexual assault allegations.

In October 2017, Nelly was arrested after a woman named Monique Greene claimed that the rapperhad sexually assaulted heron his tour bus in Washington.

In a statement to The Blast, the Auburn Police Department confirmed that the “Ride Wit Me” rapper had been arrested. He was later released from police custody as authorities continued to investigate the claim.

A rep for Nellydenied the allegationsand told PEOPLE via a statement from his lawyer that the woman’s claims are “a completely fabricated allegation” and they were confident he wouldn’t be charged.

By September 2019, prosecutorsdropped the caseafter Greenerefused to testifyand did not file any charges. Nelly maintained they had consensual sex.

After facing accusations of an alleged sexual assault that happened in December 2017 following one of his concerts in England, Essex police stopped their investigation into the hip-hop star in April 2019.

The anonymous woman claimed that Nelly masturbated in front of her multiple times after his show at Cliffs Pavilion in Southend. He had denied the allegations.

Per the BBC, thewoman refused to testify, prompting U.K. prosecutors to drop the case.

While traveling with five other people, Nelly had been stopped for failure to display a U.S. Department of Transportation and International Fuel Tax Association sticker, authorities said in a press release at the time.

Per the release, Troopers said they smelled the odor of marijuana in the vehicle.

In a subsequent probable cause search and investigation, troopers found a plastic bag with five colored, crystal-type rocks that tested positive for methamphetamine; a “small amount” of marijuana; approximately 100 small Ziploc bags and “numerous” handguns, including a gold-plated 50-caliber Desert Eagle pistol.

“Nelly was one of several individuals that was on a tour bus that was stopped and searched while traveling through Tennessee,” his lawyer Rosenblum said in a statement at the time. “In fact, there had been 15-20 people that had access to the bus prior to the stop. Allegedly, a small quantity of contraband (MDMA aka molly or ecstasy) was discovered during the routine search.”

Nelly was charged with felony possession of drugs, simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, but the charges were eventually cleared from his record after completing a diversion program.

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Ashanti and Nelly in Atlanta in June 2023.Paras Griffin/Getty

Paras Griffin/Getty

Nelly is currently expecting his first child with Ashanti, whomhe secretly marriedin December 2023.

“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,”Ashantitold the publication. “Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to."

The “Foolish” singer also subtly confirmed the couple’s engagement when she referred to Nelly as her “fiancé.”

source: people.com