American rap artist, Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr, was allegedly charged with rape following an incident that occurred on the rapper's tour bus in Auburn, Washington while on the Smooth Stadium Tour with country-pop group, Florida Georgia Line and pop boy band, the Backstreet Boys.
American rap artist, Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr, was allegedly charged with rape following an incident that occurred on the rapper's tour bus in Auburn, Washington while on the Smooth Stadium Tour with country-pop group, Florida Georgia Line and pop boy band, the Backstreet Boys.
He was booked into the Des Moines, Washington's SCORE Jail just on Saturday, three hours after the Auburn Police Department responded to a call from a woman who said that she was raped by the rapper on the tour bus.
Nelly came to nearby Seattle and picked up a woman who he then brought back to his tour bus in Auburn, which was parked behind a local Wal-Mart.
Nelly released a statement on Twitter following his arrest Saturday morning on second-degree rape.
"Let me say that I am beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation," he tweeted.
"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."
"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."
"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."
It is said that following the concert at the Auburn's White River Amphitheatre, Nelly picked up a woman and brought her back to his tour bus in Auburn, which was parked behind a local Wal-Mart.
At 3:48 a.m., the woman called the police and accused Nelly of sexually assaulting her on the bus. Auburn Police took the rapper into custody and charged him with second-degree rape. He was released after 90 minutes at SCORE.
Nelly's lawyer in a statement said: "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."
