Ex-‘American Idol’ Star Charged In Fatal Crash Still In Jail
The Latest (3/10/22):
A former “American Idol” contestant accused of fatally running over a man last month will remain in a South Carolina jail while toxicology results are pending.
The judge ended a hearing Thursday without setting bond for 17-year-old Caleb Kennedy.
The country music singer could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of driving under the influence resulting in death.
Officials said Kennedy used marijuana before driving up a residential driveway and crashing into 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris.
Kennedy’s lawyer said his client is now on suicide watch in jail and needs to be freed or sent to an alcohol and drug treatment center.
The Latest (2/10/22):
An arrest warrant states that marijuana was involved in a deadly South Carolina crash in which a former “American Idol” contestant has been charged with driving under the influence.
Authorities say 17-year-old Caleb Kennedy ran over a man with his pickup truck Tuesday after driving up a residential driveway in Spartanburg County.
A prosecutor said in court Wednesday that Kennedy told deputies after the crash that he had taken a “deep draw” from a vaping device and felt its effects while driving.
Kennedy’s lawyer called it a “terrible accident” and said no alcohol was involved.
The warrant is the first indication that marijuana is part of the prosecution’s felony charge.
Original Story (2/9/22):
PACOLET, S.C. — Authorities say a former American Idol contestant has been charged with driving under the influence resulting in death.
The South Carolina State Patrol says 17-year-old Caleb Andrew Kennedy drove his pickup truck onto a private driveway and struck a residential building in Spartanburg County on Tuesday, killing a man who had been inside.
The prosecutor’s office says Kennedy is being charged as an adult.
Kennedy was a finalist on the ABC reality show last year, but dropped out of the singing competition after a video circulated of him sitting next to someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.
He later apologized for the video.
