Nelly Arrested for Rape in Washington
UPDATE: (Oct. 8, 10:25 a.m. EST)
Nelly is proclaiming his innocence. He recently released a statement on Twitter which reads: “Let me say that I am beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation. I am completely innocent. I am confident that once the facts are looked at , it will be very clear that I am the victim of a false allegation."
The USA Today, confirms that the rapper was arrested by not charged. He was released pending further investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Nelly has been arrested in Auburn, Wash., and charged with rape.
The rapper is currently on tour with Florida Georgia Line. TMZ is reporting that Nelly is accused of raping a woman on his tour bus and has been taken into custody.
Allegations of the crime surfaced this morning, around 3:45 a.m. According to the celebrity gossip site, the woman named Nelly specifically as the person who had sex with her against her will. He was charged with second degree rape around 7 a.m. Nelly was set to perform tonight in Ridgefield, Wash.
Nelly's lawyer has released a statement vehemently denying the charges levied against his client. It reads: "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 on a 40-city tour with FGL, which kicked off in June and isn't set to end until Oct. 21.
This is the second time that a rapper has been hit with rape charges recently. Back in August, Mystikal was charged with rape in Louisiana. Though his alleged accomplice claims that the victim says the rape didn't happen, the rapper was indicted by a grand jury on charges of rape and kidnapping in September. It's not looking good.
Mystikal, born Michael Lawrence Tyler, served seven years behind bars after being convicted of sexual assault in 2003.
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