1992.07.10-16 - The St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Associated Press - Reports (Axl)

July 10, 1992, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:



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Axl Rose Planning To Surrender Here

ORDER IN THE COURT: Rocker Axl Rose will surrender early next week on the warrant that was issued for the off-stage ruckus last summer at the Riverport Amphitheatre. The matter will then rest with St. Louis County Associate Court Judge Ellis Gregory. Rose hopes to begin his national tour next Friday....

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July 13, 1992, Associated Press (via The Tribune):



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Guns N' Roses singer spends most of Sunday in custody

by ROBERT HARDT Jr.
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The law finally caught up with Axl Rose.

The lead singer of Guns Ν’ Roses was arrested Sunday at Kennedy International Airport on year-old charges stemming from a riot at a St. Louis concert.

U.S. Customs agents detained Rose as he arrived on a flight from Paris with his girlfriend, model Stephanie Seymour, and her young son and a nanny, said Bryn Bridenthal, a spokeswoman for Rose.

Rose, a Lafayette, Ind., native, already had told St. Louis authorities he would surrender this week to face four misdemeanor assault counts and one count of damage to property, Bridenthal said.

Rose, 30, of Los Angeles, was released on $100,000 bail after spending almost 11 hours in custody. Wearing a Guns Ν’ Roses T-shirt, he left by limousine after his arraignment and sped off without speaking to reporters. About 60 fans had gathered.

"He was a perfect gentleman,” said Rose's attorney, Gerald McMahon. “Axl wasn’t mad. He was expecting it to happen eventually.”

In a statement released by his publicist at Geffen Records, Rose said: “I can’t believe how cool the New York police are; they don’t hide behind their badges.... They treat you like a human being.”

About 40 concertgoers and 25 police officers were injured in the July 2, 1991, melee. It erupted after Rose leaped from the stage to take a camera from a fan, then angrily stormed off, abruptly ending the show.

Theater owners estimated the damage at between $200,000 and $300,000.

Rose has said that he jumped into the crowd to stop a fight and that the band was willing to go back on stage, but was told to leave. He said security was to blame for the riot.

For each assault charge, Rose faces a maximum fine of $1,000 and a one-year jail sentence. For the property damage charge, he faces a $500 fine and six months in jail.

Guns Ν’ Roses’ 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction” sold 12 million copies. Twin albums "Use Your Illusion I and “Use Your Illusion II,” released last year, to date have sold 17 million copies.

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July 13, 1992, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:




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Axl Rose Arrested In NY; Extradition Sought

By Nikhil Deogun
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Tired of tapping their toes waiting for Axl Rose to turn himself in, St. Louis County prosecutors are trying to extradite the rock star so that he can come here to face the music.

Acting on the request of prosecutors, U.S. customs agents arrested Rose, lead singer for Guns Ν’ Roses, Sunday morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Rose was charged last August with four counts of assault and one of property damage, all misdemeanors, after a Guns N’ Roses concert at Riverport Amphitheatre ended in a riot.

Rose dived into a crowd and is accused of hitting a security guard and hurting three concertgoers. After that, he walked offstage, band in tow, ending the concert.

Customs agents handed Rose over to Port Authority Police on Sunday morning, said Allen Morrison, a Port Authority spokesman. Morrison said Rose, 30, was cooperative in the three hours he was in the custody of Port Authority Police. He was turned over to the New York City Police Department at about 3:15 p.m..

Rose was released on $100,000 bond at about 7:10 p.m., said Gerald McMahon, Rose’s attorney in New York.

Meanwhile, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch said he has told Rose’s attorneys that he plans to have the singer extradited.

Rose already had told St. Louis authorities he would surrender this week to face the charges, said Bryn Bridenthal, a spokeswoman for Rose.

“He’s been saying that he'd turn himself in, but he hasn’t," McCulloch said. “We decided to not take any more chances; we decided not to take him at his word anymore. He’s had a year to show up on his own."

McCulloch said that in March he was even given a specific date when Rose said he would come to St. Louis. He didn’t. That’s when McCulloch told customs officials in New York to arrest Rose when he came into the country.

Rose flew in on an Air France Concorde from Paris with Stephanie Seymour, a model who is his girlfriend, and her young son and a nanny, Bridenthal said.

Arthur S. Margulis, Rose’s attorney in St. Louis, said he expected the arrest. “He’s been on the customs' computer for months," he said. "We knew he ran the risk of being arrested anytime he entered the country."

McMahon, the New York attorney, said he expected Rose to arrive in St. Louis by Tuesday morning, “but I don’t know his travel plans."

If Rose doesn't come to St. Louis this week, McCulloch said Rose would be arrested Friday at a concert in Washington.

Earlier, his spokeswoman said, “We're being told the authorities will try to extradite him to St. Louis and, of course, Axl will fight that every step of the way ... It would be much nicer to go voluntarily, without handcuffs."

Some information in this story came from The Associated Press.

July 14, 1992, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:



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Axl Rose Expected Here Today

Singer May Enter Plea At Courthouse

By William C. Lhotka and Virgil Tipton
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Rock star Axl Rose is expected to surrender to authorities in St. Louis County today — 48 hours after his arrest as a fugitive at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Rose, 30, the lead singer for Guns Ν' Roses, may also enter a plea before a judge at the courthouse in Clayton, where he faces charges stemming from a riot at Riverport Amphitheatre last summer.

Whether Rose pleads innocent and is tried at a later date — or pleads guilty of four counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of property damage — will depend on the entertainer’s acceptance or rejection of recommendations by Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch.

McCulloch met Monday afternoon with assistant prosecutor Dan Diemer to work out the state's proposal. McCulloch declined to say what the state would seek from Rose in exchange for guilty pleas.

Diemer is handling the case. He had met earlier Monday with Rose’s attorney here, Arthur S. Margulis. Diemer said he and Margulis had preliminary talks about a plea agreement.

At McCulloch and Diemer’s request, Rose was arrested Sunday by U.S. customs agents when he got off an Air France Concorde from Paris with his girlfriend, model Stephanie Seymour. For a total of seven hours before he posted $100,000 bond, Rose was detained first by customs, then by New York Port Authority police and then by New York police.

Margulis said Rose had been expected to arrive in St. Louis Monday or today with a lawyer from Los Angeles.

"I don't know how they’re getting here, or when," Margulis said. “I feel confident that he’s going to appear and he’s frankly looking forward to it because he wants to get this matter resolved."

McCulloch was less confident than his counterpart. Rose was supposed to surrender to county police in March but didn't show up, McCulloch said.

That failure prompted McCulloch to ask customs officials to arrest Rose whenever he returned to the United States.

If Rose surrenders voluntarily to police today, the state will drop extradition proceedings against him in New York.

July 15, 1992, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:




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Axl Rose Denies Guilt; Trial Set For October

By William C. Lhotka and Virgil Tipton
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Rock star Axl Rose, who has performed before millions, dodged a crowd of 50 fans by sneaking into the government center at Clayton Tuesday afternoon to surrender to St. Louis County authorities.

An hour later, the entertainer made a nine-minute appearance before Associate Circuit Judge Ellis Gregory. Rose's attorneys pleaded not guilty on his behalf to four counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of property damage. The charges stem from a riot at Riverport Amphitheatre last summer.

The only glitches in the brief ritual were confusion over Rose’s name and finding a date for Rose’s trial that didn’t interfere with his attorneys' other cases.

Gregory noted the initial arrest warrants said: State of Missouri versus William Bailey.

“Is your name William Bailey?” the judge asked the rock singer, who was dressed in a bright salmon-colored suit with string tie.

Rose briefly bewildered the judge by firmly replying, “No." Rose said he has legally changed his name to W. Axl Rose.

Gregory then set Rose's trial first for September, then for August and finally for Oct. 13. One of Rose’s attorneys, Arthur S. Margulis, objected to the date in September; another of Rose's attorneys, Barry Short, objected to the date in August.

Rose is free on $100,000 bond — $10,000 cash — and will be allowed to conduct rock concerts outside the country.

Rose posted the bond and was fingerprinted and photographed by police after he entered the police building through a basement door.

Fans, news photographers and radio station disc jockeys had gathered in front of the nearby Commerce Bank Building as early as 7:30 a.m. to get a glimpse of the star of the Guns Ν' Roses band as he crossed Meramec Avenue from Margulis' offices to fugitive processing.

About 2 p.m., a half-dozen police officers crossed Meramec to the bank, presumably to get Rose and his attorneys. But they never returned by the route they took.

In an arrangement worked out by Rose's attorneys and St. Louis County police, the returning group drove a car from the back of the bank across the street to the police garage and Rose entered through a basement door.

Rose's teen-age fans, meanwhile, raced across the street into the government annex building and milled about elevators. They were told Rose wasn't coming out. Later, fans and reporters gathered on the plaza hoping to see Rose. But Rose used a street exit from the police building to the courthouse.

Another group of fans squealed as Rose entered the courthouse for his brief appearance but most of the fans were shut out of the courtroom because lawyers, court employees and reporters had taken all the seats.

One of the lawyers waiting in the courtroom was Frank Kaveney, who had a stenographer record the brief proceedings. Kaveney represents three people who say they were injured at the rock concert last summer.

Also on hand Tuesday was Norman Seiner, who represents eight plaintiffs in other lawsuits. Seiner held an impromptu news conference in front of Commerce Bank. He said the issue wasn't free speech, as some of Rose’s supporters maintain.

“What we’re complaining about is their conduct," Seiner said. He added the suits “will be hard and long but we will be successful."

Another spectator awaiting Rose was process server Bill McAvoy, who was ready to hit Rose with a counter-suit by Lloyds of London. Rose has sued Lloyds for failure to pay claims. Rose alleged he had to cancel concerts in Chicago and Kansas after the Riverport riots. The countersuit says Rose's own actions caused the cancellations.

In court, Rose was flanked by four lawyers, his business manager and two bodyguards. Rose spoke quietly and infrequently. He kept his hands crossed in front of him as he stood before the bench. After the brief appearance, he hugged his business manager Doug Goldstein, then left through a back door and made his way quickly from the courthouse.

Margulis said later that Rose would be prepared to go to trial in October. Earlier this week, Margulis suggested that a plea agreement would be reached with prosecutors. But those negotiations fell through.

Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch said; "We met. We had talks. We didn't reach any agreement."

An interview of Rose on MTV Monday probably didn't help. In the interview, Rose called McCulloch a liar and also claimed he had a videotape showing a man with a knife on stage at Riverport, said Dan Diemer, the assistant prosecutor handling the case.

Diemer said the state has no such evidence. If any such tape exists, the state might reconsider the charges. The allegation that McCulloch had lied by reneging on some sort of agreement is totally false, Diemer said. All of the previous negotiations depended on Rose showing up in St. Louis and Rose never did, Diemer said.

Kaveney and other lawyers noted also that a guilty plea in the criminal case — even though the charges are misdemeanors — could be used as admissions in the plethora of civil suits pending against the entertainer.

The bond setting and arraignment wipes out fugitive warrants against Rose, who was arrested Sunday as he got off a plane from Paris at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

July 16, 1992, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:



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Rose Case Attracts Limelight

By William C. Lhotka
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

The misdemeanor case of rock star Axl Rose prompted more media interest than any other case — including murders and a courthouse shooting — since St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch took office 18 months ago, McCulloch says.

"I would describe the attention as more widespread but aimed at a limited audience,” McCulloch said Wednesday, a day after Rose spent two hours at the government center in Clayton being booked, posting bond and pleading not guilty before flying to New York.

McCulloch said most of the interest outside of St. Louis had come from rock radio stations, including stations from both coasts. The prosecutor also was interviewed by the New York correspondent of the British Broadcasting Corp.

Rose’s visit here also attracted about 50 fans to the county building.

One of them, Tad Wolf, 18, of South County, may be Rose's most ardent follower.

Wolf said he had attended about 40 Guns N’ Roses concerts, including the ill-fated concert at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights last summer. Wolf laminated his ticket from that concert.

Rose is charged with four counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of property damage.

He is accused of diving into a crowd, hitting a security guard and three concertgoers, and damaging Riverport property.

Plaintiffs in a dozen civil suits say Rose's actions triggered the ensuing riot that left several people injured.

McCulloch said he expects to meet with Rose’s attorneys before Rose’s trial, which is scheduled for Oct. 13, to discuss a plea agreement.

“I’m sure we will be talking again," said McCulloch in reference to the plea negotiations. “One of our conditions was that he had to be here. When he got here, there were time constraints in working something out."

One of Rose's attorneys, Barry Short, said a guilty plea to the charges has never been a consideration.

That position could leave open the possibility of a no-contest plea coupled with probation, a fine and some sort of community service, say lawyers who have followed the case.