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An arrest warrant has been issued forR. Kellyafter the singer failed to attend a Minneapolis court hearing on Thursday on charges that he allegedly paid a teenage girl tostrip and dance for himin 2001.
The embattled R&B singer, 52, was scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m., although neither he nor an attorney was present, theStar-Tribunereported. According to the newspaper, Kelly is currently in custody in Illinois, where he faces federal child pornography charges.
Hennepin County District Attorney spokesman Chuck Laszewski toldUSA Todaythat the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois had told the Minneapolis judge that the singer (born Robert Sylvester Kelly) would not be made available for the hearing.
Senior Hennepin County Attorney Judith Cole said neither federal authorities nor Kelly’s lawyers wanted the singer to cross state lines, theStar-Tribunereported.
Laszewski has said the likely result of the warrant is that Kelly will be ordered to appear in Minnesota court following the conclusion his federal case in Illinois, according to the newspaper.
In August, Kelly was charged with two sex crimes in Minnesota after allegedly paying a teen girl $200 to dance nude back in 2001.
According to thecriminal complaint, the girl, who has not been named, first met Kelly when she approached the singer for his autograph outside of a Minneapolis venue. In addition to his signature, the singer allegedly also included a phone number.
After calling the number, the girl was invited to a hotel, where she met with the star and was offered “$200 to dance,” according to the complaint. Kelly then “helped her remove her clothing” and “took off his clothes as well.”
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Kelly is scheduled toface federal sexual assault chargesin Chicago in April.
The court date is slated for April 27, and is expected to last for approximately three weeks,ABC7 Chicagopreviously reported. However, this may be subject to change due to the fact that he has four state and federal cases pending against him, which are awaiting trial dates.
In February, Kelly was hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four alleged victims, three of which were specially referred to as under the age of 17. Hepleaded not guiltyto all of the charges.
An arrest warrant was issued for Kelly in February after the first charges were announced, and he surrendered to Chicago police hours later. Three days later, Kelly was released from jail after paying 10 percent of his $1 million bail amount, the Cook County Sheriff confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
R. Kelly.Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty
In July, the singer wasarrested again and indicted on federal chargesincluding child pornography, racketeering and obstruction of justice in both Illinois and New York, indictment documents and his lawyer confirmed. He has remained jailed since after being denied bail.
Kelly, who was also the subject of the bombshell documentarySurviving R. Kellyearlier this year, has maintained his innocence throughout his legal troubles.
source: people.com
