Hotta Rice’s Bail Conditions Eased To Allow Travel, Doctor Visits With Wife
Popular Dancehall selector and promoter Hotta Rice is in high spirits after amendments were made to the conditions of his bail as he awaits trial for a domestic dispute, in which his wife of nine years—who is currently three months pregnant—fired a gunshot at him, after he allegedly tried to strangle her.
Hotta Rice, whose given name is Harold Morgan, is charged with aggravated battery (of) a pregnant woman and battery by strangulation. He was released on a US$1500 bond on May 13.
On May 18, the Broward County Court ordered that the popular selector’s bail conditions be modified to allow for “travel nationwide for employment purposes,” according to court documents seen by DancehallMag.
He was also permitted to “transport the complainant (his wife) to and from any of her doctor’s appointments.”
He is being represented by public defender Gordon Weekes.
Hotta Rice took to Instagram to celebrate this ‘victory’ by posting a reel of himself on Saturday (May 21, 2022) with a suitcase and carry on. “#10fidistreets GOD & TIME,” he captioned the clip.
His subsequent posts indicated that he was traveling to New York. Hotta Rice is also contracted for shows in Houston, Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland in the coming weeks, according to the court documents.
According to a police report, Broward County cops responded to the domestic disturbance at 12:30am on Wednesday, May 11 and observed that Morgan and his wife were in a verbal dispute that had turned physical.
The complaint alleges that the dispute started in a vehicle, which Morgan wanted to depart with. However, the victim did not want him to.
Morgan’s wife told cops that he began to choke her with one hand, while poking her head with the other hand. “While doing so, Morgan was saying he would ‘murder’ her,” the complaint read.
According to the wife, she pulled out her registered black CZ 9mm handgun and fired one shot, which went out the driver’s side door and damaged a nearby vehicle. Morgan then called 911, according to the report.
Morgan has denied putting his hands on his wife.
However, a relative of Morgan’s wife told cops that she was on the phone with the victim during the incident, and confirmed that “she could hear a struggle that sounded like they were ‘wrestling’ and then the gunshot.”
Hotta Rice is the Queen of Dancehall Spice‘s “Official DJ”, according to his Instagram bio. The Kingston 13 native is also known for his Day Rave Thursday’s event.
Hotta Rice won the Selector of the Year award at Uptown Mondays in 2017.