Rapper Nelly will not face charges following August casino arrest

Musician Nelly, famous for hits like “Air Force Ones” and “Hot In Herre,” will not be charged following an arrest at a St. Louis casino in August, prosecutors said Tuesday.

“We do not believe the facts in this case warrant the filing of charges,” Chris King, a spokesman for the St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement.

Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes II, was arrested on August 7 on an outstanding warrant for lack of proof of insurance. State police claimed he had four “ecstasy pills,” according to a state police report and Nelly's attorney.

The police department in Maryland Heights, a suburb of St. Louis, said at the time that it had arrested the rapper for failure to appear on an old traffic violation after state police transported the musician to the department.

Nelly's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said at the time that Nelly was not notified of the warrant.

Rosenblum said Nelly was “targeted by an overzealous officer who doesn't follow the rules” who was looking for arrest warrants after the rapper won money at the casino.

Nelly was born in Texas but moved to St. Louis as a child and grew up there.