DMX's lawyer, public defender Charles Kozelka, has revealed the reason for the rapper's no show at an Arizona court earlier this week. Apparently he was in hospital, but the judge said that wasn't a good enough excuse and issued an arrest warrant anyway.
Kozelka told MTV News that DMX was taken to hospital in Miami on Tuesday morning, meaning he was unable to make the court appearance later that day. He said: "We provided intake documentation, and the judge said it was insufficient. The judge said he should have informed the court sooner, and because it was the second time he'd missed court in this case, she issued the warrant. We have to work out an arrangement that will work with the courts. Obviously, it's not working now. We are in court again next week on other matters, and my hope is we can get the warrant resolved by then and get back on track. We have some things in the works to get the warrant taken care of. My hope is that we can resolve it without an arrest, but he's been arrested at the airport before, so they obviously have an eye out for him, so I'm not sure".
The lawyer would not reveal why the rapper was in hospital, and ignored suggestions that he had actually checked into rehab. He said he and his team were "working towards getting him some help, and we hope that will be taken seriously by all parties in this case".
Whether or not DMX is seeking help for his drug problems is not the only question being asked about him this week. Many are wondering why he has been assigned a public defender to represent him, something normally reserved for those who cannot afford to hire private counsel. A townhouse in New York owned by the rapper was reportedly handed over to be sold at a sheriff's auction on Wednesday, sparking speculation that he might be having financial difficulties.