Rapper DMX, 37, was arrested Friday on drug and animal cruelty charges, Arizona sheriff's deputies said.
The artist, whose real name is Earl Simmons, attempted to avoid arrest by barricading himself inside his Cave Creek, Ariz. home. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, he faces four felony drug possession charges and seven misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
A news release from the sheriff's office also said deputies were serving search warrants at the Scottsdale, Ariz. Mayo Clinic due to the belief the rapper was involved in fraud there.
The deputies reported that five pit bull mix puppies were seized from the rapper's home by an animal control unit. They will be taken to a jail and cared for by female inmates.
This is not the first time DMX was suspected of animal cruelty. In August, deputies responding to abuse reports raided his home and seized 12 dogs. Although no evidence of dogfighting was found, some of the dogs had not been fed or watered.
In addition, the sheriff's office found three dog carcasses on the property, one of which looked like it had been burned.
"A guy like this DMX character, with all his money and fame, has no excuse for not providing proper care for his animals," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Friday.
The drug possession charges came after deputies served the search warrant at 3 a.m. Friday, finding drugs and weapons.
County Attorney Andrew Thomas said the case would be treated like any other alleged animal cruelty, despite DMX's celebrity status.
DMX has a history of legal problems. According to CNN affiliate KPHO, he was arrested on Wednesday for racing on a highway after speed cameras caught him driving 114 mph on a Phoenix-area freeway. The rapper was booked on charges of racing on a highway, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, two counts of endangerment and three counts of criminal speed.
In 1999, an animal cruelty charge was dismissed against the rapper after he accepted responsibility and recorded public service announcements for an animal rights group, CNN reported.
The raid in August came within the same week as former NFL football player Michael Vick pleaded guilty to bankrolling and running a Virginia dogfighting ring.
At the time, the rapper's lawyer said he had been on tour and arranged for a caretaker for his dogs. The lawyer alleged that while the caretaker fed and watered the dogs, he did not protect them from Arizona's summer heat. He also said DMX was upset about the treatment of his dogs, who have been featured in his music videos.
