Prosecutors Drop Felony Charge Against Rick Ross: Misdemeanor Domestic Battery Charge Remains
Prosecutors in Florida have dropped a felony charge against rapper Rick Ross, the Associated Press reported. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office filed paperwork on Thursday (October 29) to drop a felony charge of battery by strangulation because of "insufficient evidence."
Ross, 50, whose legal name is William Roberts II, still faces a misdemeanor charge of battery domestic violence. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorney said Friday that he would continue to defend himself against the allegations.
The case began with a report by a woman who had been living with Ross. Officials said Ross surrendered at the Miami Beach police station on October 1, two days after the woman filed her report with police, and was freed on bail several hours later.
According to the arrest report, the woman told Miami Beach detectives that she had been living with Ross when he accused her of cheating on him and struck her multiple times on August 28. She said Ross also choked her with the collar of her shirt and slammed her into a wall. She said she was eventually able to leave the home and returned later — after Ross left — to collect her belongings.
Ross has a prior Georgia case on his record. He pleaded no contest in 2017 to aggravated assault after he was accused of forcing a man into a guesthouse at his suburban Atlanta mansion in 2015 and beating him with a handgun; under a Georgia first-time offender program, the court later issued an order exonerating him of guilt on that felony count.
Ross is a longtime South Florida resident who gained prominence in 2006 with his debut single "Hustlin'," which was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. His debut album, "Port of Miami," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, followed by chart-toppers including "Trilla" and "Deeper Than Rap"; he has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards. In 2008 he founded the Maybach Music Group label. His most recent album, "Set In Stone," was released in July.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：说唱歌手 Rick Ross 在纽约自由人队比赛的中场活动上。WOWyerrr 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Rapper Rick Ross at a New York Liberty halftime event. Photo by WOWyerrr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
