The attorney for the woman who accused rapper Nelly of rape last weekend in Auburn has asked the police to halt the criminal investigation.
Auburn police spokesman Commander Steve Stocker said that Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., was booked Saturday morning after being arrested at about 4:37 a.m. in his tour bus at a Walmart.
According to the jail's inmate database, he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree rape, indicating force was used, or the victim was incapable of consent due to being physically helpless, mentally incapacitated or developmentally disabled.
Through a letter from Attorney Karen Koehler on Friday, the accuser asked for the investigation to be halted.
“Today she is telling the Auburn Police Department and the King County Prosecutor’s Office to put a halt to the criminal investigation of Cornell Haynes, Jr. (aka “Nelly”). She will not testify further in a criminal proceeding against him.
“She never wanted notoriety. She never wanted a dime from that man.
“She wants to go back to school and to graduate. And this she cannot do if she remains hidden in her room, crying her heart out.”
Nelly, 42, is a three-time Grammy winner, including for the song Hot in Herre, which won the best male rap solo performance award in 2002.
Nelly is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
