American Idol star Caleb Kennedy was arrested and charged with felony driving under the influence on Tuesday after allegedly causing a deadly crash.
The 17-year-old country musician was supposedly driving in Spartanburg, South Carolina at around 12:42 p.m. when he crashed into a building, killing a man inside. Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed the tragedy to People, saying:
“A 2011 Ford pickup was traveling north on W. Murph Road when the vehicle traveled onto a private drive at 269 W. Murph Road and struck a building. A person inside the building sustained fatal injury as a result of the collision.”
So, so sad.
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The official even confirmed Caleb’s involvement in the accident, adding additional details such as:
“The driver is identified as Caleb Andrew Kennedy, 17-year-old male from Roebuck, South Carolina. This crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. There will be no further updates at this time.”
The man who was struck dead was identified as Larry Duane Parris. He was taken to a nearby hospital after the crash but sadly did not recover from his injuries. The 54-year-old was pronounced dead three hours after getting hit, the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office confirmed to local outlet WYFF4. So far, nobody on Kennedy’s team has commented on the incident, including his mom, who also works as his manager, Anita Guy. The teenager is currently behind bars at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.
Perezcious readers may recall that this isn’t the reality star’s first bout of controversy. Last year, while he was competing on the popular singing show, Caleb was blasted for a video that depicted him hanging out with a friend wearing a hood reminiscent of those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
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He was swiftly eliminated from the contest, during which he had already made it to the Top 5. A source close to the hit series told People in May:
“American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy will no longer be moving forward in the competition. Sunday’s episode will feature the Top 4 with one contestant elimination.”
While Kennedy apologized for the video on Instagram, claiming “it displayed actions that were not to be taken in that way,” he also insisted that the person he was on the TV was not true to his real self, adding:
“On Idol, that wasn’t me. That world is so different. Now that I’m home, I try to be me, but I’m also scared of someone videoing me when I go to Academy or Wal-Mart. You have to worry about things like that now.”
Caleb is currently in jail awaiting a bond hearing set for Wednesday, according to Yahoo! Entertainment. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
[Image via Spartanburg Sheriff’s Department & Talent Recap/YouTube]
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