Earlier this month, Florida rapper Rod Wave, who just scored his first number 1 album on the Billboard 200 a year ago, was arrested and faced charges of battery by strangulation for allegedly choking his ex-girlfriend in front of his children.
But after weeks of investigation, the case is now being dropped. Prosecutors in Osceola, Florida reviewed the incident and concluded that the case was not fit for prosecution, according to Pitchfork.
Rod Wave, born Rodarius Marcell Green, was accused in an arrest warrant of coming into his ex-girlfriend’s house and choking her until she could not breathe because he thought she was talking to other men, according to the arrest affidavit.
After leaving, Green allegedly came back a second time to his ex-girlfriend’s house and accused her of taking his cellphone. He allegedly kicked storage shelves and grabbed multiple photos off the wall, throwing them on the porch and sidewalk and then drove off.
A week after the incident, Green was arrested during a traffic stop in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he’s from. He was then released from Pinellas County Jail on a $5,000 bond and pleaded not guilty to the domestic battery by strangulation charge.
In an Instagram post, Bradford Cohen, Green’s attorney wrote,” DISMISSED…Myself and my main man David Bigney represented Rodarius Green aka Rod Wave on his arrest last week, in Osceola County for an alleged domestic violence case. We are thrilled that this misunderstanding is behind him and he can move forward with a successful career.”
He continued, “Sometimes misunderstandings can be misconstrued and it isn’t until all the evidence and witnesses are reviewed that the right decision is made by the States Attorney. We thank the Osceola State Atty for his professionalism.”
Two years ago, the “Street Runner” rapper got in some trouble in Atlanta when he was arrested at his show after he barely escaped getting injured when the stage collapsed. He punched a promoter and was arrested on a battery charge.
After dropping his most successful album to date, Soulfly, in 2021, the rapper was preparing to drop another one in 2022.