Prosecutors drop felony charge against rapper Rick Ross in domestic violence case

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped a felony charge against rapper Rick Ross a month after he was arrested in Miami Beach when a woman he was living with told police he hit her, court records said.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office filed paperwork Thursday to drop a felony charge of battery by strangulation because of “insufficient evidence.” Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, still faces a misdemeanor charge of battery domestic violence.

Ross, 50, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorney said Friday that his client would continue to defend himself against the allegations. Ross surrendered at the Miami Beach police station on Oct. 1, two days after the woman filed a report with police, officials said. He was freed on bail several hours later.

According to an arrest report, a 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 Aug. 28. She said Ross also choked her with the collar of her shirt and slammed her into a wall. The woman said she was eventually able to leave the home and returned later — after Ross left — to collect her belongings.

Ross previously pleaded no contest to aggravated assault in 2017 after he was accused of forcing a man into a guesthouse at his suburban Atlanta mansion in 2015 and beating him with a handgun, according to Georgia court records. Under a Georgia first-time offender program, the court issued an order exonerating Ross of guilt on that felony count.

Ross is a longtime South Florida resident who gained prominence in 2006 with his debut single “Hustlin’.”

The rapper and entrepreneur helped put Miami on the musical map in the early 2000s, when most hip-hop fans looked to Atlanta and Houston as Southern rap headquarters. “Hustlin’” was certified platinum twice by the Recording Industry Association of America and sparked a bidding war for Ross. He eventually signed with Def Jam Records, headed by Jay-Z.

Ross’ debut album, “Port of Miami,” also went platinum, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the first in a series of chart-toppers, including 2008’s “Trilla” and 2009’s “Deeper Than Rap.” He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards.

In 2008, he founded the influential label Maybach Music Group, boosting the careers of signees like Wale, Meek Mill and French Montana.

His most recent album, “Set In Stone,” was released in July.