Prosecutors in the Rick Ross battery case have dropped the felony charge against the rapper, moving forward with misdemeanor counts instead over an alleged domestic violence incident at his Star Island home in Miami.
According to court documents, the state filed two misdemeanor charges against Ross, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts II: one for battery and one for battery with domestic violence. Prosecutors dropped the felony because of insufficient evidence. Ross is set to be arraigned Friday, the hearing where he will formally answer the new charges.
The 50 year old was originally arrested Oct. 1 after surrendering to Miami Beach police. At the time, he was charged with felony battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery. Under Florida law, battery by strangulation covers applying pressure to someone’s throat or neck or blocking their nose or mouth, and it is a third degree felony. Ross was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and released the same day on a $5,000 bond.
The alleged incident happened Aug. 28 at the Star Island mansion Ross shared with his then girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick. The two had been together for about a year, and she was living with him at the time. Kendrick posted photos of her injuries on social media and went to police in late September.
According to the arrest report, Ross questioned Kendrick about whether she had lied to him before the situation turned physical. She accused him of slapping, hitting and choking her, grabbing her by the ponytail and slamming her against a wall.
Ross has denied every part of it from the start. Speaking to reporters outside the jail after he bonded out, he said he was totally innocent of what he called fabricated allegations, and repeated it a second time for emphasis. His attorney, Brad Horenstein, told CBS News Miami the allegations are false and his client is innocent. Ross pleaded not guilty and demanded a jury trial.
This is not the first time a Ross case has ended up with lesser charges. In 2015, he and his bodyguard were arrested and accused of kidnapping and assaulting a landscaper over money. In 2017, Ross pleaded no contest to one felony count of aggravated assault and several misdemeanors, and the remaining felony charges were dropped.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
With the felony off the table in the Rick Ross battery case, he now faces significantly lower stakes. Misdemeanor battery in Florida carries up to a year in jail, compared with up to five years for a third degree felony. The case remains an allegation, and Ross has not been convicted of anything.
