R. Kelly a no-show in court

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Singer R. Kelly was a no-show for an initial court appearance in a Minnesota case in which he is accused of offering a 17-year-old girl $200 to take off her clothes and dance in 2001.

Kelly, who is jailed in Chicago on sexual abuse and other counts, was charged in Minnesota in August with soliciting the girl after meeting her before a concert in Minneapolis.

Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces previously filed federal and state charges in New York and Chicago. Prosecutor Judith Cole told Judge Jay Quam during Thursday’s brief hearing that federal authorities in Illinois were “not willing to give us access to him” until his case there is resolved.

The judge then issued a bench warrant as a formality.

Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg, who didn’t attend the hearing, called the Minnesota charges “beyond absurd” when they were announced.

Man charged in shooting

ST. PAUL (AP) — A man whose gunfire caused brain injuries to a 4-year-old girl in St. Paul has been charged with assault.

A criminal complaint says Isaac Alonzo Cryer was arguing with the child’s father outside a residence last week when Cryer pulled out a gun and the father tried to drive away. Prosecutors say Cryer started shooting at the vehicle and the girl was injured. She was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and bleeding in her skull.

Cryer denies that he was the shooter. He says the child’s father was the one armed with a gun. Cryer is charged with five counts of second-degree assault.

Minnesota not settling with Purdue

ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the state is not among those that have reached a tentative settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the opioids epidemic.

The tentative deal between Purdue, thousands of local governments and more than 20 states could be worth up to $12 billion over time. Purdue has been criticized for overselling the benefits of its powerful prescription opioid painkillers and understating the risks.

Ellison says he feels there’s uncertainty about the details of the agreement, including the amount of payments, the time period over which the payments would be made and terms for ownership and operation of Purdue and other holdings.

One of the next steps for Pharma is a bankruptcy filing, which would likely end lawsuits filed against the company. Parties that don’t agreed to settle could raise objections in bankruptcy court.