Last month, on Jan. 18, Kodak Black was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including drug possession, grand theft of a firearm and child neglect, with the arrest stemming from an Instagram Live broadcast.
As previously reported, the broadcast in question featured Kodak’s child being brought into a bathroom where a joint was held “inches from the infant’s face” and a gun was also visible. After police searched the residence after being notified of the situation, they reportedly found more drugs and guns, including one handgun that had been reported as stolen.
Earlier Thursday (Feb. 22), Kodak’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, sent a letter to the judge requesting that the charges be dismissed, arguing that there is no way to prove that the guns and drugs featured in the Instagram Live video weren’t fake, nor that they belonged to his client in the first place.
“Any violations of probation stemming from the alleged firearm and narcotics in the ‘Instagram Live’ video should also be dismissed because the evidence does not prove that the alleged firearm in the video was, indeed, a real firearm, nor the alleged cannabis in the video was, indeed, cannabis,” Cohen wrote, in a letter obtained by Pitchfork. “Indeed, the Defendant and his musical ‘Sniper Gang”‘crew often produce music videos and other promotional videos, as is customary in the industry, using fake firearms and narcotics. As such, any violations of the Defendant’s community control based on firearms and narcotics, which are adverse to the terms of his community control, being present in the ‘Instagram Live’ video should also be dismissed.
Cohen also reportedly argued that there were many people in the house (making it difficult to prove the items belonged to his client), as well as added that Kodak did not own the stolen gun that was recovered during the raid.
According to various reports, three charges in the case—grand theft of a firearm, child neglect, and one count of possession of a firearm, ammunition, or weapon by a delinquent—have since been dropped.
At the time of this report, two outstanding charges remain from this home raid, including one count of possession of a firearm, ammunition, or weapon by a delinquent and possession of cannabis over 20 grams.
Kodak, who is currently in jail without bail for violating his probation, is awaiting trial for his previous arrest for sexual assault, among other charges. He was indicted back in October.