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American Idol prima Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced to jailhouse 2 years aft crashing his pickup motortruck successful South Carolina, sidesplitting a joined father.
The past 17-year-old state euphony vocalist was driving a 2011 Ford pickup northbound connected West Murph Road successful Spartanburg that careened into a backstage driveway connected February 8 2022.
Larry Duane Parris, 54, was lasting conscionable extracurricular his location store astatine astir 12:41 p.m. erstwhile Kennedy mowed him down, authorities said. The interaction drove Parris wrong the shop, wherever helium was recovered by his daughter, Kelsey. He was later pronounced dormant astatine a section hospital.
Kennedy, 20, - who withdrew from the world amusement successful 2021 aft a racism scandal, pleaded blameworthy Monday to driving nether the power resulting successful decease and was sentenced to 25 years successful situation and a $25,100 fine, which was suspended to 8 years and $15,100, per WSPA.
Three of those 8 years volition beryllium served successful location detention. He volition besides person recognition for clip served since the clang and his archetypal arrest.
Kennedy volition besides person to acquisition intelligence wellness and substance maltreatment counseling, arsenic good arsenic 5 years of probation.
American Idol prima Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced to jailhouse 2 years aft crashing his pickup motortruck successful South Carolina, sidesplitting a joined father
Kennedy made headlines past twelvemonth aft helium withdrew from American Idol amid a racism scandal
Larry Duane Parris, 54, who was a joined father, was lasting conscionable extracurricular his location workshop, wherever helium fixes boats, astatine astir 12:41 p.m. erstwhile Kennedy mowed him down, authorities said. The interaction drove Parris wrong the shop, wherever helium was recovered by his daughter, Kelsey. He was aboriginal pronounced dormant astatine a section hospital
A typical for the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s bureau successful Spartanburg told US Weekly a plea was reached earlier the lawsuit went to trial.
During a proceeding aft the arrest, toxicology reports revealed Kennedy had THC (the progressive compound successful marijuana) and prescribed Prozac his strategy astatine the clip of the crash.
Kennedy told deputies aft the clang that helium had taken a 'deep draw' from a vaping instrumentality and past felt its effects portion driving.
In a 911 call, Parris' girl tin beryllium heard screaming for help, and Kennedy tin beryllium heard connected the portion saying helium was atrocious arsenic helium held the dying antheral wrong the shop, the solicitor said.
'Daddy, daddy, please! Daddy, daddy, please!' the girl screams connected the telephone obtained by Fox Carolina.
Kennedy was hospitalized aft the clang and was treated for injuries.
The vocalist made headlines successful 2021 aft helium withdrew from American Idol amid a racism scandal, arsenic helium was seen successful a three-second societal media clip seated adjacent to a idiosyncratic wearing a achromatic hood, which critics said appeared to beryllium a Ku Klux Klan hood.
'Hey y’all, this is gonna beryllium a spot of a astonishment but I americium nary longer gonna beryllium connected American Idol,' helium wrote successful an Instagram station successful May 2021.
Authorities said Kennedy drove his pickup motortruck into Parris' backstage driveway successful Spartanburg and struck him arsenic the antheral was lasting extracurricular his workshop
Kennedy- pictured successful tribunal successful February 2022 - pleaded blameworthy Monday to driving nether the power resulting successful decease and was sentenced to 25 years successful situation and a $25,100 fine, which was suspended to 8 years and $15,100, per WSPA
'There was a video that surfaced connected the net and it displayed actions that were not meant to beryllium taken successful that way.'
Kennedy said of the three-second video: 'I was younger and did not deliberation astir the actions, but that’s not an excuse.'
The movie has thing to bash with racism oregon the Ku Klux Klan and Caleb's mother, Anita Guy, insisted the young vocalist ne'er had a racist bony successful his body.
But those explanations chopped nary crystal with online critics who savaged Caleb and claimed helium was making 'excuses' and demanded helium beryllium disqualified from American Idol.
It was unclear if ABC asked him to retreat astatine the time, oregon if helium made the determination himself.
Kennedy apologized for the series of events and said helium hoped to redeem his estimation moving forward.
'I wanna accidental atrocious to each my fans and everyone who I person fto down,' helium said.
'I’ll beryllium taking a small clip disconnected societal media to amended myself, but saying that, I cognize this has wounded and disappointed a batch of radical and made radical suffer respect for me.
'I’m truthful sorry! I commune that I tin 1 time regain your spot successful who I americium and person your respect! Thank you for supporting me.'
Kennedy precocious into the Top 5 of American Idol past year, but dropped retired aft a video circulated of him sitting adjacent to idiosyncratic wearing what appeared to beryllium a Ku Klux Klan hood
Kennedy's relatives said the Snapchat video successful question was taken 4 years agone erstwhile helium was 12, the Herald-Journal reported.
His parent Anita Guy told the paper, 'I hatred this has happened and however Caleb is being portrayed by radical online.
'This video was taken aft Caleb had watched the movie The Strangers: Prey astatine Night and they were imitating those characters.
'It had thing to bash with the Ku Klux Klan, but I cognize that's however it looks.
'Caleb doesn't person a racist bony successful his body. He loves everyone and has friends of each races.'
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