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 Sc 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 has been identified as Larry Duane Parris . He had been 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 Ideal , that wasn’ t me. That world is so different. Now that I’ m home, I try to be me personally, 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 will be currently in jail awaiting the bond hearing set for Wednesday, according to Yahoo! Entertainment . If convicted, this individual faces up to 25 years in prison.
[Image via Spartanburg Sheriff’s Department & Talent Recap/ YouTube ]
The post < i> American Idol< /i> Alum Caleb Kennedy Charged After Crashing & Killing Man While Allegedly Drunk Driving appeared 1st on Perez Hilton .
