The headline read “Rapper Snoop ends up in doghouse.”

That’s what greeted American Press readers at the breakfast table when they picked up the Dec. 22, 1994, morning edition.

The then 23-year-old rapper, who was in Lake Charles to perform a concert at the Civic Center, had been arrested the night before on misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Also arrested with the rapper — whose real name is Calvin Broadus and who at the time went by Snoop Doggy Dogg — was bandmates Delmar Arnaud, Darryl Daniel and Ricardo Brown, all of Long Beach, Calif.

His promoters, B&M Productions of Houston, canceled the show after the arrests.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Bill Spees told the American Press that deputies had gone to the Players Riverboat Casino Hotel at 10:50 a.m. on Dec. 21 to serve legal papers to Broadus. The documents were from the New York federal court and an entertainment company seeking money the rapper’s promoter allegedly owed.

“While our civil deputy was making the service at the motel, he detected what he believed to be a marijuana smell coming from the rooms of the band,” Spees said.

Spees said the deputy contacted narcotics officers who came to the hotel and “attempted to get someone to come to the door but were told they could not enter.”

Chief Detective Johnny Fryar told the American Press that when he arrived at the hotel and knocked on Broadus’ door, the rapper shouted expletives at him.

After a drug-sniffing dog indicated marijuana coming from the room, the hotel manager opened the door with an all-access key and deputies broke the chain to let themselves inside.

“Initially, there was not much cooperation when they refused to open the door,” Fryar said. “After awhile, Mr. Snoop Dogg became cooperative and signed a voluntary (search warrant) to search the room.”

During the search, deputies found “a minimal amount” of marijuana and “gleanings around the rim of the toilet and on the floor, indicating some evidence had possibly been destroyed.”

They also found hand-held cigarettes, rolling paper, plastic bags with suspected drugs inside and a partial bud wrapped in a towel.

Then-American Press Staff Writer Sonny Marks wrote that when Broadus stepped outside of the deputy’s car at the Sheriff’s Office “inmates erupted in cheers and yells of ‘Snoop!’ from inside their cells.”

“ ‘Release Snoop Dogg. Wise up!’ a jail inmate repeated in a loud voice. Another yelled: ‘You better be nice to him! Don’t ask him 20 questions,’ ” Marks wrote.

Civic Center Director Al Harris said about 350 tickets had been sold for the concert and refunds were to be given.

Marks noted that Broadus’ drug arrest wasn’t the first local controversy surrounding the rapper.

On Dec. 12, 1994, then-city attorney Billy Loftin sought the cancellation of the concert because he claimed the promoter failed to provide a signed contract and certificate of insurance for the Civic Center.  Promoters insisted they had faxed a signed agreement and were returned a confirmation from the Civic Center director, but Loftin said he “only does business with originals.”

On Dec. 13, Loftin reached an agreement with the promoters but city officials “slapped” an age requirement on concert goers, the first time ever for a Snoop Dogg show, according to the promoters. Concert goers were required to be 18 or accompanied by an adult who was either a parent or guardian. Promoters told the American Press that the age limitation hurt ticket sales by about 70 percent.

On Dec. 20, the Baptist Ministers Union of Lake Charles, then comprised of 63 churches, opposed the rapper’s scheduled show, stating Snoop Dogg is “a very negative example for the young people of the city.”

Marks wrote that Broadus said nothing  as deputies led him into the Sheriff’s Office with his hands cuffed behind his back. He and his bandmates bonded out a few hours after they were detained. Their bonds were set at $2,000 each.

The day after Broadus’ arrest, five other band members were arrested after a fight that injured two Lake Charles men broke out in the Players Riverboat Casino Hotel. One of the men suffered injuries to his face, arms and ribs, while the second victim received face, arm, chest and head injuries. Both were treated and released from the Lake Charles Memorial Hospital emergency room. Each of the band members were charged with simple battery and released on $500 bonds.

Lake Charles Police said when they arrived at the hotel to answer a disturbance call, the two 24-year-old victims reported five people had jumped them, beat them in a hotel elevator and then left in a van. Officers stopped the van as it tried to leave the area and brought the occupants back to the hotel to be identified by the victims.

Police said another man — a member of the band that had been set to be the opening act for Broadus’ canceled show — was cited for a disturbance at a different hotel. His name wasn’t released because he wasn’t arrested.