R. Kelly Ordered to Allow Inspectors to Search His Rented Warehouse
Just over a week after the premiere of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, a Cook County judge has ordered R. Kelly to allow Chicago’s city inspectors to search inside his Near West Side warehouse that was featured in the six-part doc. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the news on Friday (Jan. 11).
According to the publication, the inspection won’t take place until Jan. 16. The city believes the space was illegally converted into a recording studio and maybe even a residence. Their attention was drawn to the space after someone called 311 anonymously to report people were living at the property, which is zoned for commercial use only.
“Upon information and belief it is being used as a residence and artist workspace — specifically as a recording studio in violation of the zoning law,” said a city attorney.
During a hearing on Friday (Jan. 11), Melvin Sims, Kelly’s attorney, initially asked Judge Patrice Brown-Reed for 30 days to comply with any order she issued. “It’s our belief that this is not an emergency,” she said.
Jamie Burns, who works as a lawyer for the owners of the property, says his clients don't have a key to the space at the moment.
In another interesting development, police were sent to R. Kelly's Trump Tower condominium after an anonymous caller phoned Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. That person told Kelly the office that the singer was holding women there against their will, but upon their arrival, they found Kelly with two women who were there by choice.
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