Rapper DMX returns to jail, charged with probation violations

Phoenix - Troubled rapper DMX is back behind bars and is being held without bail, following new allegations the star has violated the terms of his probation.

Authorities in Arizona contend DMX failed to submit to mandatory drug testing. Maricopa County probation officers are investigating whether the rapper has used cocaine and OxyContin in violation of his probation. The thirty-nine year old rapper and movie star faces years in jail if found guilty. The talented but troubled rapper, real name Earl Simmons, has also acted in a number of successful films, including ‘Never Die Alone’ and ‘Romeo Must Die. Simmons, who just completed filming a new movie with veteran actor Kris Kristofferson, has experienced several run-ins with the law, however, including drug convictions and charges of animal cruelty. In 1999, Simmons was arrested for having stabbed a man during a tour stop in Boston, Massachusetts. Those charges were later dropped. Since then, Simmons has racked up an impressive but rather disturbing rap sheet, from reckless driving to assaulting prison guards. In a brief hearing held Wednesday morning, Simmons denied the charges. In return, Court Commissioner Christine Mulleneaux of Maricopa County summarily denied the defendant bail. Simmons is set to appear in court on December 9th.