Austin: Louisiana Rapper Warranted for Theft of Services
In Austin, a rapper from Louisiana known as Boosie Badazz is facing serious legal troubles after an arrest warrant was issued for him last month. His real name is Torence Hatch, 41, and he is currently wanted on a charge of theft of services, which is classified as being greater than or equal to $2,500 and less than $30,000.
Background of the Case
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the case dates back to June when Hatch allegedly failed to pay for chauffeur services rendered to him over a few days. The charge itself was formally filed on August 29, leading to a summons being issued for him to appear in court on October 28 for a pre-trial hearing.
Currently, there is no attorney listed for Hatch in the online records. Efforts to reach out through the emails provided on his website have been made in hopes of getting his side of the story. As of now, no response has been received.
The Chauffeur Service Incident
The affidavit outlines that a limousine and chauffeur service based in Austin provided Hatch with transportation from June 5 to June 7. The company claims they never received payment, even though they were told Hatch would pay in cash.
The chauffeur driver, who was on the job during that period, reportedly asked both Hatch and his manager about payment on multiple occasions. After the services were complete, the driver sent Hatch an invoice amounting to $8,800, which remained unpaid.
The Services Provided
During the three days, the chauffeur service drove Hatch and his companions to various places for different activities. These included:
- Transporting Hatch to Walmart for clothes shopping
- Driving him and his child to an Urgent Care for treatment
- Taking him to a Burger King restaurant
- Visiting a trampoline park with his family
- Taking him to a Round Rock Outlet Mall for a promotional video
- Driving Hatch to the federal courthouse in downtown Austin to meet with a federal parole officer
Interestingly, the affidavit states that Hatch praised the chauffeur services and even made a video on social media promoting the company. The chauffeur driver mentioned in the affidavit that Hatch told him he would offer a “good price, just like I told your manager.” Eventually, Hatch suggested that the chauffeur expenses could be covered by the promotion video, but the driver clarified that there had never been an agreement before this suggestion that would allow the promotional video to cover the costs.
Company’s Position
The chauffeur company insisted that such arrangements were unfamiliar and that a cash payment by the hour for celebrity clients was standard practice. They provided police with screenshots of conversations that confirmed the service request and payment assurances that were supposedly made at the beginning of their arrangement.
Next Steps
With the court hearing set for October 28, all eyes will be on the developments in this case involving the rapper who has gained fame in the music industry. Until then, it’s unclear how this will impact his career.
