Rapper DMX arrested again in Arizona

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rap star DMX was arrested for failing to appear in court and other complaints at a Phoenix airport on Wednesday, adding to his legal woes that include drug possession and animal cruelty charges.

A Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman said DMX, 37, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was taken into custody after getting off an airplane from Florida. Last week, he was arrested twice in that state, once for driving without a license and again in a drug bust.

In Phoenix, sheriffs arrested DMX for failure to appear in court, failure to pay fines and driving without a license, said Capt. Aaron Douglas, spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The warrants are from past cases stemming from his arrests for marijuana possession and unauthorized driving of an all terrain vehicle (ATV), Douglas said.

DMX's management company could not be reached for comment, and his attorney was not immediately available.

The rapper, who has a home outside Phoenix, was arrested in Arizona in May on suspicion of drug possession and animal cruelty after searches of his home allegedly turned up weapons, drugs, dog carcasses and abused pit bulls.

DMX barricaded himself in his bedroom at his home during that arrest, before eventually surrendering.

But he gave himself up without incident on Wednesday at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, as he stepped off a plane after arriving from Florida, Douglas said.

DMX pleaded guilty in New Jersey to animal cruelty charges in 2002 for neglecting a dozen pit bulls, according to news reports. As part of his sentence he was required to make a public service announcement against animal abuse.

While he is best known as a rapper, DMX also has acted in several movies including "Romeo Must Die" and "Exit Wounds."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Cynthia Osterman)