Rapper Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr., has been arrested and charged with second-degree rape for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on his tour bus early Saturday morning.
TMZ reports that a woman claims she was raped on the rapper’s bus in Auburn, Wash. The rape allegedly happened Saturday at 3:48 a.m. Law enforcement told the celeb gossip site that the woman said it was Nelly who raped her.
Q-13 News and the Associated Press report that a police spokesperson says the bus was parked near a Walmart Supercenter, and officers say they had probable cause to arrest the rapper.
Nelly was booked on second-degree rape charges Saturday morning around 7 and is still in custody. The rapper is scheduled to perform tonight in Ridgefield, Wash., with country-pop duo Florida Georgia Line, according to TMZ.
Nelly’s lawyer released the following message to TMZ at about 12:30 p.m. EDT:
Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation, clearly establishes the allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once the scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges. Nelly is prepared to pursue all all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.
Nelly was most recently arrested for felony possession of drugs, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Tennessee in April 2015.