A Georgia judge says rapper Quando Rondo can no longer drive and must undergo drug testing if he wants to stay out of jail while awaiting trial on gang and drug charges
FILE – This booking photo released by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Savannah, Ga., shows Tyquian Terrel Bowman, a rapper also known as Quando Rondo. A Georgia judge ruled Thursday, July 27, 2023, that rapper Quando Rondo can no longer drive and must undergo drug testing if he wants to stay out of jail while awaiting trial on gang and drug charges. (Chatham County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia judge ruled Thursday that rapper Quando Rondo can no longer drive and must undergo drug testing if he wants to stay out of jail while awaiting trial on gang and drug charges.
The 24-year-old rapper, whose given name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman, appeared in a Savannah courtroom as prosecutors unsuccessfully asked the judge to revoke the $100,000 bail the rapper posted following his indictment last month.
Bowman crashed a car July 19, just a few weeks after bonding out of jail. Prosecutors said emergency responders at the scene of the crash administered Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses, to Bowman because he showed symptoms of an overdose.
Bowman had been ordered to refrain from using drugs as a condition of his bail.
Bowman’s attorney, Kimberly Copeland, told the judge Thursday that he wasn’t driving recklessly and that he had a prescription for some of the drugs he had taken, WTOC-TV reported.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes said that Bowman can remain free before his trial as long as he follows the additional restrictions she imposed Thursday, news outlets reported.
“You are a young man with a career in front of you,” Stokes told Bowman. “All sorts of opportunities. But the bottom line is that it’s all on you.”
Bowman and 18 others were indicted last month by a Chatham County grand jury. Bowman was charged with four counts, including being a manager of an illegal street gang known as “Rollin’ 60’s.” His other charges include conspiring with others to distribute marijuana and to buy pills of the opioid hydrocodone.
Prosecutors have said additional charges stemming from the car crash are pending.
As Quando Rondo, the rapper’s singles “I Remember” and “ABG” led to a deal with Atlantic Records, which released his debut album, “QPac,” in 2020. His follow-up album, “Recovery,” came out in March.
