Celebrity

Rod Wave Update: Federal Battery Charges Dropped

rapper-rod-wave.jpg

Rod Wave will not be facing jail time in connection to his domestic violence arrest earlier in May. A felony charge of domestic battery against the 23-year-old Florida rapper, real name Rodarius Green, has been dropped after prosecutors filed a notice Thursday in Osceola County court that the case against the musician was “not suitable for prosecution,” according to a court filing viewed by Pitchfork.

The decision not to move forward with the case comes after Rod Wave was arrested on a warrant out of Osceola County and charged with felony battery by strangulation. He was taken into police custody after his 2021 Dodge Durango was pulled over “after a traffic infraction occurred” in St. Petersburg, Florida at 10:34 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 1. Although details of that arrest warrant were initially unclear, the Tampa Bay Times revealed in a May 11 report that the warrant stemmed from an April 24 incident involving the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, whom Rod Wave was accused of choking “while their two children were in the home.” In two 911 calls, the woman, who was not identified, said the musician entered her home and became physically aggressive. When deputies responded to the scene, the woman told authorities she had been asleep when the rapper entered her home from the front door. According to the report, Rod Wave allegedly “choked her until she couldn’t breathe… and accused her of talking to other men,” before he eventually left the home. He later returned to the home and accused the woman f taking his cellphone. He reportedly again grew aggressive, kicking storage shelves and throwing photos off the wall. The victim was left with a scratch located “near the left center of her neck.”

Videos by PopCulture.com

In a statement to Pitchfork after the charge was dropped, Rod Wave’s lawyer, Bradford M. Cohen, said the situation was “a misunderstanding between a Girlfriend and Boyfriend..” Cohen added, “that misunderstanding resulted in Mr. Green’s arrest. After review of the evidence and speaking with witnesses, the State entered a Nolle Pross/ No Info on the matter and will not be pursuing charges.” Cohen added in a social media post announcing the dropped charges that Rod Wave “can move forward with a successful career.”

Rod Wave, a St. Petersburg resident, began working on his music career while at Lakewood High School before eventually breaking into the industry with a startup label, Alamo Records, in 2018. He has more than 100 million views on YouTube, where he has more than four million subscribers. His latest album, Soul Fly, released in March 2021 and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. His latest release, “Cold December,” is the lead single from his upcoming fourth album, Beautiful Mind, set to arrive June 3.