Musician Jelly Roll sworn in as deputy sheriff in Michigan: ‘From convict to deputy’

Country music star Jelly Roll has been given a special title in Flint, Michigan.

Earlier this week, a radio station in Detroit shared a video of Jelly Roll being sworn in by Sheriff Christopher Swanson as a deputy with the Community Cares Task Force.

On Saturday, 99.5 WYCD shared to their Instagram account the moment Jelly Roll was handed his badge.

“From convict to deputy,” the country music star is heard saying in the video.

Swanson is also heard saying, “This is the real deal. You walk into any facility now, you can tell them you’re a Deputy Sheriff from Genesee County.”

According to Billboard, Swanson and Jelly Roll have worked together before. The singer helped the sheriff start the I.G.N.I.T.E. Program at the Gennesse County Jail, which helps inmates earn their GED while behind bars.

Jelly Roll’s representative did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Jelly Roll, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, has been open about his past and trouble with the law.

During a 2023 interview with Billboard, the country music star told the outlet that he was arrested when he was 16 and charged as an adult with aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell. 

Jelly Roll served over a year in prison and seven years of probation. Due to the felony, the rapper lost the right to vote and own firearms. 

According to People magazine, Jelly Roll’s first arrest came at the age of 14. The singer was jailed more than 40 times before breaking the cycle of incarceration and overcoming his addiction struggles. 

Jelly Roll made his career breakthrough in 2020 with his hit song “Save Me” and he has since risen to the top of the country music scene.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, Jelly Roll shared that his troubled past and his ability to overcome it had a lasting impact on him.

“I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for what I went through. I think it empowered me. I think it gave me my voice,” he said at the 2023 CMAs. “It taught me a lot about overcoming. It taught me a lot about changing and the ability to change. 

He continued, “I was a horrible human for decades, and to just be able to turn that around and give a message in the music and help people… and just try to give back as much as I can in every way I can is very indicative of where I came from and how important it is to me to always reach back.”