R. Kelly is under investigation in Detroit for a separate sexual assault case.
After reports surfaced on Wednesday that the R&B singer was under investigation for allegedly having intercourse with a teenage girl almost 20 years ago. Detroit Police Chief James Craig confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that “we are aware of the allegations made against R. Kelly that possibly occurred in 2001.”
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He continued, verifying that the incident stems from when the alleged victim was 13 years old, and that police are attempting to “follow up” with her.
“We’ve received information from Chicago Police Department of a victim who made allegation of a criminal sexual conduct incident against R. Kelly. The incident allegedly occurred in the city of Detroit when the victim was 13 years old,” Craig continued. “Based on the information received, we have made several attempts to follow up with her. We have reached out, at the direction of the victim, to her lawyer, and we are eagerly waiting to speak to her.”
“We, the Detroit Police Department, take criminal sexual assaults very seriously, as well as all acts of violence committed against our residents, and will investigate all cases equally and with vigor in efforts to bring justice to the victims and their families,” he concluded.
The statement that Detroit officials are investigating Kelly in addition to the 10 charges of sexual abuse against him in Chicago came just hours after Kelly was back in jail for the second time in two weeks. A spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said that the 52-year-old was booked on $161,663 bond due to unpaid child support.
Kelly was taken into custody in Chicago on Wednesday following a hearing for his child support case; previously, he was ordered to pay more than $160,000 to his second ex-wife, Andrea Lee. The two share three children: Joann, 21, Jay, 19, and Robert, 17.
Kelly’s publicist said that the singer offered to pay $50,000 to $60,000 in court to set up a payment plan, but the judge denied the offer. The publicist told ET that he was “deflated” by the refusal.
Earlier Wednesday, CBS This Morning aired various clips of a sit-down interview with Gayle King and Kelly, where he once again denied all sexual abuse allegations against him. The discussion, which marked his first interview since he was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse last month, was explosive and intense.
At one point in the interview, Kelly became very heated and stood up, shouting that his accusers are “absolutely” lying.
“I have been assassinated. I have been buried alive. But I’m alive,” Kelly asserted, to which King replied, “So I think the point you’re making is, and correct me if I’m wrong, that you have never held anybody against their will?”
“I don’t need to. Why would I? How stupid would it be for R. Kelly, with all I’ve been through in my way way past, to hold somebody, let alone 4, 5, 6, 50, you said — why — how stupid would I be to do that?!” Kelly hit back.
The singer then looked into a camera and boldly stated “That’s stupid! Use your common sense. Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want. But just use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I’ve been through – oh right, now I just think I have to be monster, and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement, and don’t let them eat, don’t let them out, unless they need some shoes down the street from their uncle!”
King attempted to address Kelly, but he continued to behave erratically, yelling, “Stop it. You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn’t do this stuff! This is not me! I’m fighting for my f—ing life! Y’all killing me with this s—!” Kelly said, standing up. “I gave you 30 years of my f—ing career!”
CBS plans to air the entire interview on Friday at 8 p.m.
