R. Kelly, the singer facing multiple legal cases including charges of sexually abusing teens, bailed out of Chicago’s Cook County Jail for the second time in less than a month late Saturday morning and made a brief statement about his intent to rise above his legal troubles.
“I promise you, we’re going to straighten all this stuff out,” Kelly, 52, told reporters outside the jail after he walked out. “That’s all I can say right now. I promise you.”
Kelly, wearing a red jacket and a gray hoodie, then got into a vehicle that drove away.
Kelly’s most recent jailing, on Wednesday, involved what authorities said was failure to pay his ex-wife child support of $161,000. It is unclear who paid the money owed. The section of the form to be filled out by the person paying the bond was left empty, according to a document CNN obtained.
Kelly also faces 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse – a Class 2 felony – involving four alleged victims.
After Kelly departed Saturday, his attorney, Steve Greenberg, who walked out with him, decried news coverage of his client and what he called “the pitchfork justice that’s going on around here.”
“It’s open season on R. Kelly,” Greenberg told reporters gathered outside the jail.
Greenberg said Kelly will be back in court Wednesday in the child support case. He is scheduled to return to court in the sexual abuse case March 22.
The indictment accuses Kelly of sexual acts with three children older than 13 but younger than 17; there is no age range listed for one alleged victim. The singer has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Greenberg said Saturday that prosecutors had yet to show him “one single piece of evidence.”
“We haven’t seen an interview. We haven’t seen a police report. We haven’t seen a videotape,” he said. “When we get those things, we’re going to fight this case like we fight any other case: in the courtroom, based on the evidence.”
Kelly has consistently denied any allegations of abusing of women or being sexually involved with underage girls.
A gag order in the child support case
Kelly’s release from jail was his second in less than two weeks.
In the child support case, he was arrested Wednesday and initially ordered to post the full amount that he’s accused of owing his ex-wife to be freed.
Greenberg declined to say how much Kelly posted Saturday to walk out of jail.
“As far as the child support matter, what was posted, the judge has entered a gag order, so we can’t really talk about that,” Greenberg said.
In the case of alleged sexual abuse, Kelly was jailed on February 22 and released three days later after posting $100,000 bail.
CNN’s Brad Parks and Marlena Baldacci reported from Chicago, and Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Bill Kirkos and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
