Former 'American Idol' Contestant Caleb Kennedy Charged in Fatal DUI Car Crash

17-year-old Caleb Kennedy was arrested and charged after he allegedly crashed his truck into a building and fatally struck a man that was inside.

February 9, 2022

This is an image of former 'American Idol' contestant Caleb Kennedy. — AMERICAN IDOL - "417 (Coldplay Songbook & Mothers Day Dedication)" "American Idol" is back with a live coast-to-coast episode as the top seven contestants perform two songs each on SUNDAY, MAY 9 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images) CALEB KENNEDY
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Former American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy was arrested on Tuesday in Spartanburg County, South Carolina after he allegedly crashed a pickup truck into a building while he was intoxicated, striking a man, Peoplereports.

The man who was hit, 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris, died after being transported to a hospital. Kennedy, who was also treated for injuries, was subsequently charged with felony DUI resulting in death.

“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,” Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol toldPeople. “A person inside the building sustained fatal injury as a result of the collision.”

Trooper Ridgeway added that the “crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.”

According to CBS News, Kennedy has a bond hearing set for Wednesday and could face up to 25 years behind bars if he’s convicted. The 17-year-old was a contestant on the popular singing competition American Idol in its 19th season and made it all the way to the final 5. He exited the show in May of last year after video surfaced showing him next to a person dressed in a hood reminiscent of what members of the white supremacist terrorist organization Klu Klux Klan wear.

“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” Kennedy said at the time in response to the clip. “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”