Puerto Rican Singer Randy Ortiz Acevedo Of 'Jowell & Randy' Arrested On Charges Of Domestic Violence

Authorities in Puerto Rico arrested reggaeton singer Randy Ortiz Acevedo over charges of domestic violence. On Monday, a judge ruled there was enough evidence to pin on the singer related to an incident that occurred on Jan. 7.

The Associated Press said the reggae artist has not entered a plea and was also not yet required to enter one at this time. However, he was held and detained on bond amounting to $15,000 and was released from jail on Tuesday. Upon his release, the singer, who is part of the popular duo Jowell and Randy, did not comment on the ruling but told reporters in Spanish that he was a bit sad. When asked what happened, the singer only replied “Nothing, nothing” - and then called the charges against him “una estupidez”- which translates to dumb or foolish.

Prosecutor Anthony Oyola spoke to the media but did not provide much details other than the singer’s mother had given evidence on behalf of her son prior to his charges. The Puerto Rico Department of Justice issued a statement that said Acevedo is accused of attacking the mother of his children, Rolling Stone reported. He allegedly got physical with her and grabbed her arms and neck while jerking her around. He also threatened to stop paying alimony. Acevedo is due in court for a scheduled preliminary hearing on Jan. 19.

The reggae duo has been consistently placed as one of the biggest reggae acts in the past 20 years and are pegged to be on par with reggaeton pioneers. Jowell and Randy's last album together was Viva el Perro, which was released in 2020. But the pair managed to release singles in the last couple of years despite the pandemic. Their latest music came out in October, titled “Se Acabo la Cuarentena,” which also features Kiko el Crazy. At the same time, Jowell - whose real name is Joel Muñoz and Acevedo also have been actively taking on solo projects. Acevedo’s latest solo release was his solo title album "Romances De Una Nota 2021," Vol. 2 back in 2021.

The duo was able to record enough music for three albums in their follow-up project to Viva El Perro, which topped the charts at No. 5 on the Top Latin Albums.