Words by Jillian Bowe
Rapper Nelly is speaking out about his recent arrest surrounding rape allegations. Early Saturday morning, the St. Louis rapper was arrested in Washington state after a woman told police she was raped by Nelly.
TMZ reports, a woman claims Nelly raped her on his tour bus parked in a Walmart lot near the White River Amphitheater where he recently performed. Nelly is currently in Washington on tour with the country group Florida Georgia Line. According to the site, the woman called 911 at 3:48 a.m. Saturday morning to make the report. Sources say the woman specifically mentioned Nelly was the one who raped her.
Nelly was arrested around 7 a.m. after patrol officers investigated the claims and booked on second-degree rape charges and released a few hours later. Later on Saturday, Nelly vehemently denied the charges against him to his fans via Twitter and insisted he “Will be vindicated,” and apologized to his loved ones for placing himself in a “Situation” where he was accused of such a crime. Nelly tweeted,
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.
— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017
I do want to apologize to my loved ones for the embarrassment and for putting myself in a situation where I could be victimized by this false and defaming allegation.
— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017
I also want to thank my fans for their unwavering support. They know me. I assure you I will be vindicated. And I assure you, I will pursue every legal option to address this defaming claim. Thank you
— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017
In other words y'all know damm well I ain't do no dumm S^*t like this..!! Love ..!!!!
— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017
Nelly’s lawyer Scott Rosenblum released a statement surrounding the allegations and claimed,
“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 legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.”
Later on in the day, Nelly re-tweeted an article by USA Today, where it claimed he wasn’t charged with rape but was being investigated for the accusations. Nelly then tweeted,
To be absolutely clear. I have not been charged with a crime therefore no bail was required. I was released , pending further investigation.
— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017
Nelly was slated to perform Saturday night with Florida Georgia Line but has decided against it.
