Grammy-winning artist Lil Nas X, born Montero Hill, appeared in a California courtroom Monday after his arrest in August and subsequent release from an inpatient treatment program at an undisclosed facility in another state.
The “Old Town Road” musician, born Montero Hill, walked into the courtroom smiling but did not make any statements at the brief hearing, where a judge signed a protective order covering the transfer of discovery in the criminal case. A follow-up hearing was set for March 12.
“As you can see, Montero is doing amazing, doing great, and we’re super happy for him,” defense lawyer Drew Findling said as Hill left the courthouse with his legal team, including defense lawyer Christy O’Connor.
“We’re just looking forward to a positive resolution in this case, which we’re very confident of,” Findling said. The statement echoed what Findling said during the hearing, when he cited a “potential resolution” of the charges.
Hill was arrested on suspicion of battery of a police officer after he was captured on video walking in traffic in the predawn hours of Aug. 21, 2025. He was later charged with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors claim Hill, 26, was “strolling naked” along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City around 5:40 a.m. when police arrived at the scene. They allege Hill assaulted the responding officers trying to take him into custody, injuring three of them. If convicted as charged, Hill faces up to five years in state prison.
After spending the weekend in jail, Hill called the incident “terrifying” in a social media post a few days later. “Your girl is gonna be OK, y’all,” the artist said in an Instagram video. “That was fucking terrifying. That was terrifying. That was a terrifying last four days. But your girl is gonna be all right.”
At a hearing in mid-September, Hill’s lawyers said he was “in treatment” at an out-of-state facility. Judge Shellie Samuels sealed the details of the type of care Hill was seeking.
“You heard the ‘treatment’ word. We’re doing what is best for Montero from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint, but most importantly, for his well-being,” Hill’s lawyer, Drew Findling, said after the September hearing. “He is surrounded by an amazing family, an amazing team of people that care about him and love him. And we’re just addressing those issues. It’s really as simple as that. He’s had a great life, and he’ll continue to have a great life. This is a bump that he’s going to get over.”
Before his arrest, Hill shared some unreleased music and mirror selfies in Instagram posts that sparked concern. Los Angeles Police initially transported Hill to a nearby hospital for a possible overdose. He spent several hours there before being taken to jail.
Hill’s father, Robert Stafford, raced to Los Angeles to support the rapper and later told London’s The Times that Hill had been dealing with “pressure” that he placed on himself as an artist and the “breadwinner” for multiple people.
“We all have breakdowns every now and then, but the difference is, yours get played out in the public eye,” when you’re a celebrity, Stafford told the outlet. “Hopefully, this is a turning point in his mental stability.”
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