Georgia Official Calls For Criminal Investigation Into R. Kelly's Alleged Sex 'Cult'
By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 11, 2017 5:22PM
Getty Images / Photo: Mike Pont
Aside from a smattering of canceled tour dates, life seems to be carrying on as usual for R. Kelly even after Buzzfeed published its bombshell "cult" report, but that could change if at least one Georgia official gets his wish. John Eaves, the chairman of Fulton County, GA, says there is enough evidence to pursue a criminal investigation against the Chicago R&B singer; and he's calling for one to proceed.
Eaves at a press conference on Friday said that local law enforcement had uncovered new information about the allegations against Kelly— which have “severely raised the level of concern," he said, according to Fox 5-Atlanta. The evidence has been passed along to the district attorney
Eaves, who is running for mayor in Atlanta, said in a statement, via NBC Atlanta affiliate WXIA-11:
"Today, I am asking District Attorney Paul Howard and his investigative officers and prosecutors to fully review the report of the John Creek Police and follow every lead — no matter where it leads, or who it implicates, and bring those persons to swift justice."
The information gathered "is enough evidence that gives the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office all it needs to advance a criminal investigation of the well-known allegations," Eaves added.
Buzzfeed News reports that county commissioners have also tried to cancel R. Kelly's upcoming Atlanta show, in the wake of allegations that the singer has kept girls against their will. But that show is still slated to take place Aug. 25, according to Ticketmaster.
Last month Buzzfeed published a report by Chicago music journalist Jim DeRogatis that aired new allegations that Kelly is holding several women in "cult"-like environments, in suburban Chicago and Atlanta, controlling "every aspect" of their lives, including "what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records." Kelly has denied the accusations. One of the women in question, 21-year-old Jocelyn Savage, said she was "not being brainwashed" and that she was fine, though her parents are still trying to reach her for a face-to-face meeting to make certain that she's ok, according to TMZ.
More than 35,000 people have signed a petition calling for RCA Records to drop Kelly.
"No one should be above the law, because of their income or their zip code," Eaves added. "And we will not allow our young girls and young women to be preyed upon by predators or anyone who aims to brainwash and strip them of their human dignity and their right to be free."