DMX has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and felony drug possession charges .

The Rapper, aka Earl Simmons, was late to a court hearing on Thursday 15th May and his plea was delivered by a judge. DMX had his property raided in August 2007, which led to the discovery of three dogs buried in his garden and the confiscation of 12 dogs that were described as malnourished.

Previous trouble with the law includes arrests for carrying a handgun outside a nightclub, crashing his car through an airport security gate and posing as an undercover federal agent.

As reported by MTV News, following the most recent arrest, PETA posted a letter to Attorney Andrew P. Thomas to urge him to imprison Mr. Simmons. In support of their argument PETA give reference to DMXs previous 13 cases of animal abuse.