Crime

2:03 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the City of Chicago tells TMZ that officials who searched R. Kelly's studio Wednesday did, in fact, find building code violations, including evidence that the space was being used for residential purposes.

We're also told officials discovered work that had been done inside without permits. The city will file an amended complaint against R. Kelly for a future court hearing.

Police are at R. Kelly's recording studio in Chicago, and while it has nothing to do with the allegations put forth in "Surviving R. Kelly" ... it is related to potential illegal activity.

The issue appears to be Kelly's studio being used as a residence. Law enforcement sources tell us Chicago PD showed up there Wednesday afternoon with the Cook County Building and Zoning Dept. We're told the B & Z is there because the building is only zoned for industrial use, so if anyone is living there ... that's a no-no.

We're told police typically accompany the Building Dept. on such matters ... and officers did NOT go just because it's Kelly's place. BTW, the singer reportedly owes a ton of back rent -- $166k -- and is facing eviction before the month's end.

Obviously, the sight of police swarming Kelly's crib immediately made people think an arrest was going down.

No dice. Yet.

Former NFL DB Tony Beckham -- a Titans 4th-round pick in 2002 -- beat the hell out of a man after he allegedly caught the guy masturbating outside his 15-year-old daughter's window.

Cops in Palm Beach County, Florida say Tony saw a man with his hands down his pants in the bushes next to his daughter's window Monday morning ... and went after him when he saw the guy making masturbating motions.

Police say Tony chased the guy down about 50 feet from his house ... and proceeded to smash the guy up bad -- breaking his face in a couple different places.

Cops arrested the man -- a 48-year-old named Geoffrey Cassidy (who claimed he was a transient) -- and booked him for Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition in the Presence of a Child.

If convicted on that count, Cassidy faces up to 15 years in prison.

Cassidy is still being held in Palm Beach County Jail on $1,500 bond.

1:24 PM PT -- A rep for David Eason refutes the details of this weekend's encounter, telling us he did confront the woman ... but never threatened to shoot her, nor was he carrying a gun. We're told Dave noticed the same woman snooping around their property and tampering with their mailbox two days prior, and drove up to her this time on his ATV. The rep tells us all he said to her was that nothing was for sale when she said she was a realtor looking for property.

Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, allegedly threatened to shoot and kill a woman who briefly stopped in front of his property ... TMZ has learned.

Real estate agent Sandra Britt tells us she was cruising through Jenelle and David's neighborhood last weekend in Riegelwood, NC looking for a rental property for her daughter. She says she paused for a moment in front of the 'Teen Mom' stars' home to admire it ... particularly its new black gate.

Britt says she was quickly on her way -- but she claims Eason came racing up the street behind her on an ATV and pulled up beside her. She claims he asked, "What the mother f*** are you looking at my house for?"

She claims he then put his hand on what appeared to be a gun in a holster on his waist and said, "That's right. I got a gun, I will shoot you." She says David then took a pic of her license plate, and then bolted.

Britt tells us she tried to report the incident to police, but was told nothing could be done because the altercation happened on a public highway. She's planning to file a report with the Sheriff's Department soon.

We've reached out to Eason, but no word back yet.

Worth noting ... David does love his guns. Just last month the Secret Service paid him a visit after he tagged President Trump in a social media post flaunting his arsenal of weapons and ammo.

Chris Hansen got the Chris Hansen treatment, sort of, when Connecticut cops confronted him and then busted him ... for bouncing checks.

The former host of "To Catch a Predator" was arrested Monday in Stamford for larceny. Cops say he failed to pay a local vendor nearly $13,000 for stuff he'd purchased in 2017 ... and allegedly gave the guy the runaround with 2 bounced checks.

According to Stamford PD, Chris bought 355 mugs, 288 t-shirts and 650 vinyl decals from a mom-and-pop shop in town for marketing events he planned to attend. The owner says the goods were delivered, but Chris bailed on his $12,998.05 tab.

The owner says after the first check bounced, he threatened to go to cops. Chris allegedly offered to make 4 partial payments, but the owner rejected that deal.

Chris then bounced a second check, and begged for more time. The owner claims Chris sent emails saying he was selling his boat to come up with the cash, but a check -- a good one -- never came ... and a warrant was issued for Chris' arrest.

He turned himself in Monday, and was booked and released from jail.

1:33 PM PT -- TMZ Sports obtained court docs explaining the allegations ... and they're graphic and disturbing.

The accuser is a male family member who claims Wetteland engaged in oral sex with him on 3 separate occasions between 2004 and 2006 ... while he was a young child.

Wetteland has been booked for 1st degree felony continuous sex abuse of a child -- and if convicted, he faces up to LIFE in prison.

John Wetteland -- the former closer for the New York Yankees -- was arrested in Denton County, Texas on Monday on suspicion of child sex abuse ... official records show.

Details surrounding the alleged incident are unclear -- but the charge specifies that the alleged victim is under the age of 14.

The 52-year-old right-hander was booked and posed for a mug shot. He was later released on $25,000 bond.

We're reaching out to law enforcement to find out more.

Wetteland was a star back in the day -- he was the MVP of the 1996 World Series, helping his Yankee squad defeat the Atlanta Braves. He posted all 4 saves for the Yanks during that series.

He was also a 3-time All Star during his 12-year MLB career ... during which he played for the Dodgers, Rangers and Expos.

During his Yankees career, Mariano Rivera was his set-up guy.

He later went on to serve as a bullpen coach for the Washington Nationals.

Story developing ...

NY Giants backup QB Kyle Lauletta just pled guilty to obstruction of justice stemming from his wild October arrest where he allegedly almost ran over a cop.

Remember, officials in Weehawken, New Jersey say the 23-year-old was driving his 2017 Jaguar in a "dangerous manner" on the way to Giants practice when cops attempted to pull him over.

When an officer tried to stop him, the QB continued to drive like a maniac and almost hit the cop.

He was initially booked on several charges -- including 3rd degree eluding police, obstruction of justice, reckless driving and other lesser crimes.

But now, officials say Lauletta cut a deal with prosecutors in which he pled guilty to a disorderly persons offense of obstructing the administration of law at a motor vehicle stop ... and in exchange, the more serious charges will be dropped as part of a conditional dismissal.

In other words, if Lauletta stays out of trouble for 12 months, all of his legal problems go away.

If he screws up, the judge can reinstate all of the initial charges -- in which case he could face up to 6 months in jail.

In addition, Lauletta pled guilty to a few minor traffic violations.

As for the Giants, the team previously hit Lauletta with a fine.

9:12 AM PT -- The Sitch is on his way to lockup, and just posted a video to all his fans. He promises to be a better version of himself once he gets out and also makes a few plugs for his social media account. Sorrentino will likely be booked within the hour.

Time's up for Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino ... the "Jersey Shore" star is surrendering to begin his 8-month prison sentence.

Sorrentino's attorney, Kristen Santillo, tells TMZ ...he will turn himself in Tuesday to start serving his time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York. We suspect he'll have lots of contact -- written, anyway -- with the outside.

Before reporting to prison, Sorrentino urged friends, family and fans to write him while behind bars ... posting the prison mailing address for his 1.3 million Twitter followers.

As we've reported ... Mike was sentenced to 8 months back in October for tax evasion. Mike's brother, Marc, got 2 years behind bars. The sentencing being pushed to October really helped The Situation.

He was originally supposed to be sentenced in April, but with the extra months of freedom, Mike married Lauren Pesce at a fancy shindig in November. He also got to spend the holidays with friends and fam ... including Thanksgiving.

This Valentine's Day is gonna suck -- no GTL or TLC, we're assuming.

On the upside ... he could run into President Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, who will also do his time at Otisville, and he'll be out for Halloween.

Michael Blackson probably should've been irate about a drunk driver smashing into his car -- but he was more flabbergasted than anything ... and we get why.

The comic was having a great Monday night at the Improv in WeHo -- he did a set with Dave Chappelle, so what could go wrong? Try your Rolls-Royce getting jacked up in a 3-car wreck!!

Michael tells us he got the news while onstage with Chappelle, and when he got outside -- it was a messed up scene, to say the least. A Maserati lost its front wheel, that wheel smashed into a Jeep Wrangler ... while the Maserati kept going long enough to smash into Mike's whip.

MB called it a miracle -- a bad one -- that the guy on just 3 wheels managed to keep rolling long enough to hit his Rolls. You really gotta see his reaction.

As for the driver, we got vid of cops giving him a breathalyzer. Law enforcement sources tell us the guy allegedly pinballed down the street, hitting several cars -- and was arrested for DUI.

R. Kelly might take a financial hit as more of his hit songs get pulled from streaming services, but he's more concerned with filing a fat lawsuit against Lifetime over its docuseries ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the singer tell us he's not flipping out about people like Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Ciara yanking their R. Kelly collabs. We're told his only reaction has been to dismiss those artists as "phonies" who are trying to salvage their own images on the heels of the "Surviving R. Kelly" allegations.

We're told he is freaking out about what he considers "lies" put forward in 'Surviving.' As we've reported, Kelly's lawyers fired off a cease and desist letter to Lifetime ahead of the six-part docuseries airing. Of course, Lifetime didn't blink and Kelly's now pressuring his attorneys to follow through with the legal threat.

We're told he has daily meetings with lawyers where they not only discuss the content of 'Surviving' ... but also attempt to dig up dirt on Lifetime execs. The way one source describes it, Kelly seems crazed about getting revenge, and will leave no stone unturned until he gets it.

So far, though, no lawsuit ... while Kelly keeps taking shots.

We broke the story ... his label, RCA/Sony, has pulled all financial backing for new projects -- and prosecutors in 2 cities are actively seeking potential witnesses and victims to bring charges against him.

Kevin Gates claims everything's cool with fellow Louisiana rapper Boosie now, but he has a warning shot to anyone else thinking about doing him dirty.

The Baton Rouge MC sat down with Raquel Harper for a new episode of BET's "Raq Rants," and he insists rumors of a long-standing feud with Boosie are overblown. Boosie was tried and acquitted in the murder of one of Kevin's rap affiliates.

Kevin now claims he doesn't have problems with anyone, but also told Raq ... he wouldn't hesitate to "do a life sentence" if anyone tests him.

You gotta see how he says it. It's pretty intense, especially because his toddler son was sitting right next to him at the time.

For what it's worth, Boosie did seem to confirm they'd squashed all hate last year by recruiting Kevin to play his music festival.

The man charged in the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs and the murder of her parents showed his face in court Monday, as cops said he planned the crime for weeks.

21-year-old Jake Patterson appeared by video in a Wisconsin courthouse. He did not enter a plea and his bail was set at $5 million. According to the criminal complaint ... Patterson made up his mind to abduct Jayme when he saw her getting on a school bus.

According to prosecutors, Patterson said, "He knew that was the girl he was going to take." He allegedly went to the Closs' home twice before Jayme's parents were killed and she was kidnapped on Oct. 15. The last time was one week prior, and he was scared off because the family had several guests.

According to docs, Patterson shot Jayme's father at the front door while she and her mother hid in the bathroom. He eventually broke down the bathroom door, bound and gagged Jayme, then fatally shot her mother.

While she was held captive, Jayme says Patterson made her hide under his twin-sized bed if he had any guests. She said his father frequently visited. She also says Patterson threatened, "bad things would happen to her" if she let anyone know she was there.

Closs was able to escape her captor last week about 70 miles north of her Wisconsin hometown. She says Patterson told her he was leaving for 5 hours, and when he did, she pushed the barbells and weighted totes he used to keep her under the bed ... slipped on a pair of his shoes and fled his house.

As you know, a neighbor found her wandering and called police. Jayme was reunited with her aunt, and Patterson was arrested shortly afterward.

Stormy Daniels is taking some of the police officers who arrested her at a strip club last year to court -- claiming they only went after her for speaking out against President Trump.

The former porn star just filed suit against several members of the Columbus Division of Police who serve in the vice unit, in which she alleges the only reason these cops falsely arrested her last summer at Sirens is quite simple ... allegiance to Trump.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Stormy claims that the officers listed entered into a conspiracy with each other upon learning that she'd be making an appearance in the area, and decided to go undercover with the sole intention of retaliation and ruining her rep.

Stormy had recently spoken out about her alleged affair with Trump on "60 Minutes," and she believes the actions of these officers were in direct response to that.

She claims the cops violated her civil rights by falsely arresting and imprisoning her, and now ... she's asking a judge to award her damages for it.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy says he spoke with Kareem Hunt just a week ago ... and didn't rule out signing the troubled RB when asked about the possibility Monday.

Hunt's been out of the NFL since TMZ Sports published video of the ex-Chiefs star shoving and kicking a woman during a February altercation at a Cleveland hotel.

But ... Nagy's got a great relationship with the RB -- he was Hunt's OC during the RB's rookie season in 2017 -- and says he wanted to check in on him when they spoke just a few days ago.

"I talked to Kareem completely wanting to know how he's doing. And we had a good conversation."

Nagy says the convo never turned to football ... but he did say he's a coach that has always been in favor of giving players second chances.

"Me, personally, depending on certain people's situations, I'm a guy that has always been that. I've been kind of raised that way to give guys second chances."

Does that mean Hunt will be in a Chicago uniform next season? Nagy certainly didn't seem opposed to the idea ... but GM Ryan Pace says the Bears need more time to make that call.

"We're not even there yet," Pace said ... "I know what [Hunt] is as a player, obviously, from watching him. Matt knows a little bit more about him as a person. But we're not even close to that point."

Jada Pinkett Smith says she fended off potential creepers from Willow at a young age -- and in light of "Surviving R. Kelly" ... she seems grateful she did.

Jada released another episode of "Red Table Talk" Monday, which continued a conversation with alleged R. Kelly victim Lisa Van Allen who explained why she gravitated toward the singer. She says the fact she was orphaned played into her embracing him.

It's just as emotional as their last segment, with tears being shed in recounting her experience.

At one point in the convo, Jada reveals she had to have some serious talks with Willow as a young teen -- Willow's now 18 -- to warn her about the dangers of the world, and people who might want to take advantage of her. She says she told Willow she couldn't be alone with certain people, no matter how close Willow thought she was with them.

One of R. Kelly's alleged victims claims the singer posted private photos of her and sent a threatening letter in response to her appearing on the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly."

Faith Rodgers spoke at a news conference Monday in NYC flanked by her attorneys, Gloria Allred and Lydia Agu. Allred said apart from posting private photos of Faith on the Facebook page "Surviving Lies" -- before it was taken down -- Kelly also sent Faith a notarized letter saying he would reveal details of her sex life.

Hills says Kelly's retaliating because Faith sued him and spoke out in 'Surviving.'

Faith is the woman who sued Kelly back in May 2018 for sexual battery and false imprisonment. She also alleged Kelly gave her an STD.

You'll recall the STD criminal case was closed in Dallas but Faith plans to go to cops in NYC where she claims she was first sexually battered. Allred did say Faith would meet with NYPD investigators following the news conference.

Faith's mother was also at the news conference and said she and her husband have been threatened via phone and text messages.

R. Kelly might as well be record label-less right now -- because his current one has frozen him out ... putting new music on ice until the dust settles in his latest scandal ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with R. Kelly's contract and dealings with RCA/Sony tell us ... the label will not produce any of the singer's new music, it will not put money behind any of his projects, and it will not release any additional music until the criminal investigations in Georgia and other fallout resolve one way or the other.

We're told R. Kelly is pissed because he's been in the studio recording new music to fulfill the obligations under his RCA contract ... which requires 2 new albums.

Our sources say he's especially annoyed RCA/Sony won't provide money for music videos.

RCA/Sony is in a tough spot -- they can read the tea leaves and know they will have hell to pay in terms of PR if they release R. Kelly's songs in the wake of the growing #MuteRKelly movement.

On the other hand, the label has a deal with R. Kelly, and if they formally walk away from him now without any criminal charges to justify ending the contract ... they could be sued. We don't know if there's a "morals clause" in R. Kelly's contract ... which would allow the label to give him the boot for crossing the line.

It sounds like they could mutually agree to end things because we're told R. Kelly is very unhappy and if the label doesn't embrace him, he wants out. The problem ... where to go? On top of that, our sources say other artists are now turning him down for possible collabs.

In case you haven't noticed, Kelly has been releasing new music via social media and SoundCloud for a minute. Yes, R. Kelly is a SoundCloud singer ... at least, for now.

We've reached out to RCA/Sony for comment ... so far, no word back.