Mystikal has pleaded not guilty to rape and kidnapping charges, according to KSLA News. The 46-year-old rapper, born Michael Lawrence Tyler, faces one count of first-degree rape and one count of second-degree kidnapping, stemming from an alleged assault at a downtown Shreveport casino in October 2016.
Tyler was indicted on the charges in September after turning himself into authorities in August. He has been held at Caddo Correctional Center as he awaits trial. The rapper is one of three people charged in connection with the assault. Averweone Darnell Holman, 26, is also charged with one count of first-degree rape and one count of second-degree kidnapping, and Tenichia Monieck Wafford, 42, is charged with one count of obstruction of justice. They are also being held at Caddo.
Tyler's next court date is January 18th, where he may be able to reduce his bond, which currently stands at $3 million, according to the Caddo district attorney's office.
When the news first broke, it was reported that investigators had collected "witness statements, statements from the victim, and physical evidence from the scene," and that Sex Crimes Investigators had linked him to the scene through DNA evidence. The alleged assault reportedly took place the same day that Mystikal was in Shreveport on his Southern Hip-Hop Tour.
Mystikal previously served 6 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual battery in 2003. Following his release in 2010, he was registered as a sex offender. In 2012, he was given a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge following a dispute with a domestic partner.