Kodak Black has been released from the Broward Main Jail — but only because he’s been transferred to the St. Lucie County Jail to face two misdemeanor drug-related charges there.
St. Lucie County Sheriff’s records show that the 19-year-old Pompano Beach rapper, whose real name is Dieuson Octave, was booked in at the jail in Fort Pierce at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday. The jail is about 90 miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Octave faces misdemeanor charges of possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis and use or possession of drug paraphernalia in St. Lucie County, records show.
But far more serious is the felony charge of criminal sexual conduct he faces in South Carolina. According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, he is accused of committing sexual battery at a hotel in Florence, S.C., on or about Feb. 7.
The young rapper, signed to Atlantic Records, has over the past several years built a growing buzz with his independent releases. But legal troubles have continually stalled his ascent as an artist.
The night of Feb. 6, Black had performed a show at Club Compound, at 2729 E. Palmetto Street in Florence, S.C., according to Drew Brown, promoter and owner of We On Ent., a South Carolina entertainment company.
The sexual battery is alleged to have happened at a hotel at 2120 West Lucas St. in Florence, investigators said. The address is a Comfort Suites about 15 minutes from the club where Kodak Black performed.
In South Carolina, a criminal sexual conduct charge can occur under a number of circumstances. A victim could be forced to have sex through aggravated force, during a kidnapping or while physically helpless due to the influence of a controlled substance. The crime carries a punishment of up to 30 years in prison.
Police have released no further details about the incident.
For a brief few hours on Aug. 16, it looked as if Kodak Black would get a chance to start fresh after having been dealt a life-changing shot at redemption. In a hearing that day in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom, Judge Lisa Porter approved a plea deal in two previous cases that meant he would dodge a potentially lengthy prison term.
Octave had been facing numerous charges including robbery, false imprisonment, fleeing a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a delinquent — charges that carred a maximum sentence of 55 years.
Instead, Porter sentenced him to a year of house arrest and five years of probation.
Many in the courtroom, which was filled with the rapper’s family members, friends, fans, as well as executives from Atlantic Records, were jubilant afterward. Octave also smiled, his gold teeth gleaming as his mother shouted, “I love you, baby boy!”
But it was to be short lived. Within hours, deputies at the Broward Main Jail had discovered the two outstanding warrants from St. Lucie County and South Carolina as Octave was in the process of being released.
Source: sun-sentinel.com
