Rapper Nelly performs on stage during a Corner Block Party concert at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — A woman who said the rapper Nelly raped her on his tour bus in a Seattle suburb last weekend is dropping her pursuit of criminal charges.
News outlets report that lawyer Karen Koehler said in a statement Friday that her client wanted to stop the investigation and would refuse to testify in court.
Koehler says the woman “wishes she had not called 911 because she believes the system is going to fail her.” Adding, “Who will believe her. People are saying horrible things already. She cannot handle this. She is about to break.”
The 21-year-old college student, according to her lawyer, wants to return to her regular life. “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.”
Auburn police arrested Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., early Saturday in his tour bus at a Walmart. He was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree rape and released later that day.
He has not been charged with a crime.
Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, has called the rape claim a “completely fabricated allegation.” Adding in a statement released to People magazine, “This is simply not enough. Her reckless accusation, once investigated thoroughly, was exposed for what it was — a fabrication. A fabrication that has caused Nelly and his family to suffer emotionally and financially. It is not enough. This type of reckless allegation is an affront to women who are real victims of sexual assault. I am suggesting that Nelly seeks a public apology. I am further suggesting that Nelly considers whatever legal options are available to him. Nelly thanks his fans for their unwavering loyalty.”
