R. Kelly A No-Show At Court In Minneapolis, Arrest Warrant Issued

R. Kelly (Photo: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com)

R. KELLY did not show up for a hearing in a MINNEAPOLIS court today, where he faced two sex-crime charges, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

KELLY was scheduled to appear on charges of child prostitution and solicitation from a 2001 encounter with a teen girl, in the fourth of four sets of sex-crime charges pending against him in state and federal courts in three states. The 52-year-old is currently locked up in a federal detention center in CHICAGO after he was indicted in ILLINOIS and NEW YORK on a variety of charges.

HENNEPIN COUNTY DA spokesman CHUCK LASZEWSKI said the warrant will order KELLY to appear in court in MINNESOTA after the federal case in ILLINOIS is decided. It's still unclear if and when any of the cases against KELLY will go to trial or the order in which they're adjudicated. The U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE for the NORTHERN DISTRICT of ILLINOIS are not allowing KELLY to attend the hearing in MINNESOTA. 

KELLY has been in the METROPOLITAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER in CHICAGO since JULY. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges pending against him. So far, only one trial date has been discussed – APRIL 27th, 2020 in the federal case in CHICAGO. KELLY was charged on AUGUST 5th in connection with an encounter involving a girl he met at a concert in 2001 when she asked for autograph. Upon calling a phone number KELLY gave her, she was invited to his hotel and offered .$200 to take off her clothes and dance.

"I would like to emphasize that my client is not a prostitute," said GLORIA ALLRED, who is representing the victim in the MINNESOTA case. "She is instead a child victim of Mr. KELLY. "My understanding from law enforcement in that state is that the only available statute for which Mr. Kelly can be charged is the prostitution statute." 

KELLY appeared for a status hearing on the CHICAGO federal case SEPTEMBER 4th,and is due to appear in the COOK COUNTY case on SEPTEMBER 17th, and for another hearing in the CHICAGO federal case SEPTEMBER 18th. On OCTOBER 2nd, he's due in BROOKLYN for a hearing in the NEW YORK federal case.

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