DMX 'S NEW GIG? GETTING ARRESTED EVERY WEEK.

Looks like DMX has made getting arrested a weekly routine. When my sister brought this story to my attention I honestly could not believe it. What's even worst is the fact that he was busted in front of a crowd of people outside a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Miami, Florida on Thursday afternoon....which was all caught on tape. Miami-Dade PD arrested the rapper, real name Earl Simmons, on an outstanding warrant for skipping another court date in Arizona related to his pending animal-cruelty and drug-possession case. Although DMX's attorney public defender did appear on his client's behalf Tuesday afternoon to provide documentation that his client couldn't make it because he was hospitalized in Miami (he wouldn't say why, though), the judge opted to issue a bench warrant anyway and raised his bond to $25,000. The lawyer wouldn't comment on reports that DMX is in rehab, although he did say that the Cradle 2 the Grave star's camp is "working towards getting him some help, and we hope that will be taken seriously by all parties in this case."

Also asked why a man of DMX's presumed financial stature needs a public defender (the whole "if you can't afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you" part of the Miranda Rights), Kozelka would only say: "He qualified for us, and he feels comfortable with me." At the time, Kozelka was still hoping that his client could avoid yet another smear on his rap sheet. Good luck with that.

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"We are in court again next week on other matters, and my hope is we can get the warrant resolved by then and get back on track," he said. "We have some things in the works to get the warrant taken care of. My hope is that we can resolve it without an arrest, but he's been arrested at the airport before, so they obviously have an eye out for him, so I'm not sure."

In addition to an Aug. 19 court date related to his aforementioned pit bulls and pot case, DMX is due in court Aug. 26 to answer to identify-theft charges for allegedly trying to get out of paying a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital bill by posing as someone else.

He was also arrested twice in one week during a June trip to Miami, once for driving with an invalid license and a few days later for allegedly trying to buy a small amount of marijuana and cocaine from an undercover cop.

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RAPPER DMX ARRESTED FOR THE SECOND TIME IN ONE WEEK.

I mean, really. Rapper DMX has been arrested in Miami, Florida for the second time in a week - after he was allegedly caught trying to buy drugs from an undercover police officer. The star - real name Earl Simmons - was arrested on Monday, June 23, on suspicion of driving without a valid licence and later released on bail. But just four days later, Simmons landed himself in trouble with the law again. The hip-hop star was arrested on Friday, June 26, for allegedly attempting to purchase $45 of cocaine and marijuana from a man, who turned out to be a cop taking part in a sting operation. Simmons is currently being detained at Miami-Dade County jail, according to Allhiphop.com.

The star's legal woes this year are beginning to mount - he was charged with suspected drug possession and animal cruelty in May following raids on his Arizona home. And previous to that incident he was arrested for allegedly speeding down a Phoenix, Arizona freeway in January, clocking up a reported 114 miles per hour.

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GERALD LEVERT'S BABY BROTHER, SEAN, SENTENCED TO 22 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR FAILURE TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT.

Someone may want to use the following story as a 'this can happen to you too' scare tactic for Bobby Brown and any other dude who feels they are an exception to the rule when it comes to supporting their children. If you can't afford to take care of your kids, keep your 'safe deposit box' locked up to make it impossible to. Unfortunately for Sean Levert, the baby brother and fellow Levert band mate of the late Gerald Levert, he will have to spend nearly two years in the concrete jungle because either he refused to or just couldn't foot the bills to financially support his seeds. On Monday (3.24.2008) a Cleveland, Ohio judge sentenced the singer to 22 months in prison for failing to pay child support to his three children-- ages 11, 15 and 17. According to court records, Levert owes $85,427.68 in back child support. Sean made no comment after his sentencing.

Pray for Papa Levert. In under two years, the O'Jay's frontman has lost one son unexpectedly to an accidental overdose and another to the judicial system. Before Gerald's untimely death in 2006, initial plans were made to reunite the popular late 80s R&B group which also featured Gerald and Sean's cousin Marc Gordon. However, after Gerald's death, the remaining members made the decision to replace Gerald with Dwight Thompson, a Cleveland native and member of R&B group The Rude Boys which were discovered by Gerald. Looks like those plans will have to go back to inactive status...at least for the next two years.

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'BIRDMAN' FREE ON BOND AFTER MARIJUANA ARREST; RAPPER EXPLAINS HIS SIDE; DENIES BEING MARRIED TO 18-YEAR-OLD WOMAN.

Bryan "Baby" Williams, aka Birdman, is free on $1,500 bond one day after he was charged with possession of marijuana. The 38-year-old rapper and co-founder of Cash Money Records was released Wednesday from Sullivan County Jail in Tennessee. As I reported yesterday, Birdman was among 16 people in a rented RV that was stopped by cops for making an improper lane change. The move forced a tractor-trailer into the emergency lane on Interstate 81, according to authorities. Kingsport Police Cpl. Tim Horne said he could smell marijuana from inside the RV and found about a pound of marijuana in a trash can in the vehicle's kitchenette.

Explaining his side of the story to MTV News Wednesday, Birdman said: "We was on the bus. I was asleep in the back. Why they pulled us over, I don't know. The people are making the situation out worse than what it is. We got arrested for a misdemeanor amount of [marijuana] — we didn't have no pound. The police just found something minor in a garbage can the dog sniffed. We all got out on bond."

It was reported by some outlets (not EUR) that one of the people arrested with Birdman was an 18-year-old female who was described as his wife. Not so, he says. "I'm not married,” he emphatically stated. "Never! been! Married! Plus, that girl was 18! I don't get down like that! Plus, if I was married, why would I keep it a secret?" According to Birdman, the young woman is a companion of one of the members of his entourage.

The other 15 people in the RV were also charged with possession of marijuana, according to a news release from the Kingsport Police Department. They, too, were freed on bond Wednesday.

Birdman is currently promoting his new album, 5 Star G, which is due for release on Dec. 11. He said he's due back in court on March 18. "Hopefully all the charges will be dropped by then, and we won't have to go to court," he said. "But we good. Everybody is fine."

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MUG SHOT PIC: NICOLE RICHIE SRUNG FROM JAIL AFTER 82 MINUTES BEHIND BARS

LYNWOOD, California--Nicole Richie was released from jail Thursday, just 82 minutes after the pregnant TV reality star checked in for a four day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs. The reality show star, who checked into jail in this Los Angeles suburb at 3:15 p.m., was released at 4:37 p.m. "based on her sentence and federal guidelines," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Maribel Rizo said without elaborating. When asked whether Richie spent her brief sentence in a jail cell, Rizo replied: "No further comment."

Under a federal court mandate to manage jail overcrowding, arrestees sentenced to 30 days or less for a nonviolent offense are usually released within 12 hours, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Under the guidelines, Richie was "treated in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence," the statement said. Richie, 25, was originally sentenced to 96 hours in jail, but that was reduced to 90 hours because of time served when she was arrested.

Richie arrived at jail with her boyfriend Joel Madden and her attorney, sheriff's spokeswoman Kerri Webb said. A call to attorney Shawn Chapman Holley was not immediately returned. "She was processed into the jail system, she was highly cooperative and she was released," Webb said.

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