R. KELLY AVOIDS ARREST, SHOWS UP TO COURT EARLY

R. KELLY AVOIDS ARREST, SHOWS UP TO COURT EARLY

LATEST: R+B singer R. KELLY evaded arrest on Thursday morning (20Dec07) after showing up to hearing at a Chicago, Illinois, court 20 minutes early. An arrest warrant was issued for the Bump N' Grind star, 40, on Wednesday (19Dec07) after he failed to arrive for a court date, relating to his ongoing child pornography case. However, the warrant was not put into effect immediately - the judge gave Kelly until 9am on Thursday to present himself before the court. And Kelly attempted to make amends for skipping his previous court appearance by turning up with plenty of time to spare. Once in court, he blamed his earlier absence on snowy weather conditions in Utah, where he was touring, and the fact police pulled his tourbus over. But Judge Vincent Gaughan was not impressed with Kelly's excuses. He told the star, "I'm very disappointed. I'm telling you these are extraordinary matters to have this break given to yourself, and then nobody shows up except your attorneys." Kelly is due back in court on Friday (21Dec07) when Judge Gaughan will set a start date for his trial and determine whether to revoke his bail. The R+B superstar is expected to stand trial on 14 child pornography charges next year (08).