On March 4, Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty was arrested in Los Angeles for failing to register as a sex offender. Now, following an appearance in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the charges against him have been dropped, the Blast reports and Pitchfork can confirm. In a statement to Pitchfork, a representative for the LA County District Attorney’s Office said: “The Kenneth Petty case was dismissed today because he faces similar charges in federal court.”
Petty moved to California in July 2019 but did not register as a sex offender within five working days of moving. Petty’s sex offender status stems from 1995, when he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape, as New York state records show. Petty was 16 years old at the time of the crime, and served time in prison for the offense.
Guidelines from New York State’s Sex Offender Registry indicate that an offender must notify the Division of Criminal Justice Services within 10 days of any change of address. Petty was reportedly pulled over in Beverly Hills in November 2019, at which point officials became aware that he had not registered as a sex offender in California. According to a previous report by TMZ, Petty was arrested and released on $20,000 bond. Petty reportedly pleaded not guilty to the offense.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Nicki Minaj.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence and need to talk, we recommend these resources:
RAINN
https://rainn.org
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
https://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741