It’s Dark & Jail Is Cold: A Retrospective Look At DMX’s Arrests
Share the post
Share this link via
Or copy link
DMX and jail seamlessly go hand-in-hand like Paula Deen and her copy of The Butler. But, his latest arrest marks the third time this year in a long line of arrests.
The Yonkers, New York City MC had another run-in with the law recently, this time in Greer, South Carolina, ending with a citation for marijuana possession. The arrest comes just a mere four weeks after he was charged with drunken driving in Greenville, South Carolina, just one town away. The Ruff Ryders’ lyricist—born Earl Simmons—was a passenger in a Ford F-350 truck stopped by police for allegedly making an improper lane change Tuesday night (8/20), according to the police report.
The report noted that the officer who made the arrest immediately recognized Simmons, now 42-years-old, and knew that there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failure to appear in court for a previous charge. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer claimed to see “a bag of green plant material” better known as marijuana, and DMX denied it was his.
This marks the third time this year DMX has been arrested, which has not improved his street cred, his notoriety, or his record sales. With his time in jail now looking like a mandatory, state-wide requirement, we wanted to go down memory lane to take a look at the street gospel according to X.
Check out Dark Man X’s rap sheet in the following pages.
Photo: Ruff Ryders
1999
DMX joined Def Jam Records‘ finest for Jay Z’s 1999 Hard Knock Life tour, during which he was arrested for charges of a stabbing at a tour stop in Boston, Massachusetts; he was cleared of the charge (and another assault charge during the same year in Yonkers).
1999
That same year, DMX and his wife were arrested after his uncle (and then manager) was accidentally shot at a hotel in New Jersey. The Bonnie & Clyde duo were charged with animal cruelty, possession of crack cocaine, and possession of weapons. Since then, the two have divorced with Tashera focusing on rehabbing her life.
2000
As 2000 jumped off, the Yonkers-born rapper served a 15-day jail sentence in 2000 for possession of marijuana. This would not be the last time that drugs played a theme in DMX’s arrests.
2000
DMX was arrested from a vehicle on New York State Route 33 in Cheektowaga, New York. Charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to signal, driving without a license, failure to notify the DMV of an address change, and possession of marijuana were all labeled over his head. To make matters worst, he failed to appear for his March 21 hearing, which lead to a warrant for his arrest. His end result: pled guilty, reduced charge, and sentenced to 15 days in jail with a $400 fine.
2003
DMX was arrested for using indecent language during a performance at Saint Kitts and Nevis in June 2003. A contract stipulated that the show would be without indecent language on stage. DMX was released on $376 bail.
2004
It was this arrest in June 2004 that gained the New York rapper notoriety for his troubles with the law. At the John F. Kennedy International Airport, DMX was charged with cocaine possession, criminal impersonation (something he’s done before!), criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, menacing, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The kicker came when word broke that he claimed to be a FBI agent. X was given a conditional discharge on December 2004, but pled guilty on October 25, 2005, to violating parole.
2005
In November 2005, DMX was sentenced to serve 70 days in jail for violating parole. A 10-day extension was added to the original 60-day sentence for lateness. The Dark Man was released early “for good behavior” on December 30, 2005.
2009
Pleading guilty to the charges of drug possession, theft, and animal cruelty, DMX was sentenced to spend ninety days in jail on January 31, 2009.
2009
An attempted aggravated assault charge was levied against the Ruff Ryders emcee, but on May 22, 2009, he would enter in a plea agreement/change of plea to guilty.
2010
DMX spent four out of six months of his time in penal serving it for violating drug probation. Released from jail on July 6, 2010, BET was gearing up to celebrate the debut of his first television show, DMX: Soul of a Man. Two episodes aired until DMX was arrested week three of the season and the pilot never took off into a series.
2010
The West Coast isn’t a stranger to DMX either, as he turned himself in to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Court for a reckless driving charge he caught way back in 2002. He was sentenced to serve ninety days in jail on July 27, 2010.
2010
With most of his troubles originating in Arizona, Maricopa County got their taste of DMX when on November 19, 2010, he was arrested on charges of violating his probation by consuming alcohol (at a performance). The following month, DMX was transported to the Mental Health Unit of the Arizona State Prison, and subsequently released on July 18, 2011.
2011
Following his release from Maricopa County, DMX was arrested for speeding (recorded as 102 mph in a 65 mph zone), reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license. Earl admitted to the speeding, but quickly claimed that he wasn’t going as fast as recorded (“85 mph not 102 as charged.”). DMX sued the Arizona police but did not win the case.
2013
More recently, DMX found himself outside of the jurisdiction of Arizona, for the greener pastures of South Carolina. There he was brought into custody in Spartanburg, South Carolina on February 13, 2013 for driving without a driver’s license. Then, a few months later, he was arrested again on July 26, 2013 in Greenville County, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as driving without a license.
2013
And, lastly, just three days ago on August 20, 2013 in Greer, South Carolina, DMX was brought into custody during a routine traffic stop (which he refutes) after a car he was a passenger in made an improper U-turn. The arrest came due from an outstanding warrant for driving under suspension. In addition to the driving fracas, four packages of marijuana were also found in the vehicle and he, along with the driver, were cited for them.
