R. Kelly No-Show In Minnesota Sex Solicitation Case, Arrest Warrant Issued

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20229.1K Views

R&B singer R. Kelly leaves the Leighton Criminal Courts Building following a hearing on June 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Prosecutors turned over to Kelly's defense team a DVD that alleges to show Kelly having sex with an underage girl in the 1990s. Kelly has been charged with multiple sex crimes involving four women, three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged encounters.

Damn, Kellz.

Most people think R. Kelly should be locked up, including the judge in his federal case, but he's still a wanted man in other states. According to TMZ, an arrest warrant was issued for him after he failed to show up in court in Minnesota for another sex crimes case. Kelly was scheduled to have a hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at Hennepin County Court but because he was locked up, he wasn't able to make it. In Minnesota, he's facing two charges of engaging in prostitution with someone under 18 and soliciting someone for sexual contact.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Kelly's currently locked up in Chicago at the MCC where he's being held on federal sex crimes. The D.A.'s office in Minnesota said that the prosecutors on the case are well-aware that he's locked up in Illinois. Federal prosecutors in Illinois have told them that they won't release R. Kelly until the federal case is done with. Nonetheless, the judge decided to issue a bench warrant.

Ultimately, it seems like Kelly won't be seeing freedom in the near future. Even if he manages to dodge the federal charges, there are other states where he's charged with crimes.

Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, clearly isn't impressed by any of this. "They never came to get him, wtf was he supposed to do, telepathically transport himself?" He said in response to the bench warrant.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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