Some people just have the worst luck. This former American Idol contestant first lost his place on the show, then a few years later was sentenced to 25 years for a DUI.
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Way back in 2021, when cancel culture was society's main hobby, Caleb Kennedy was in the running for American Idol. He was only 16 years old but had a voice that held many more years of experience. However, he was axed from the show following a leaked picture of him with a friend wearing what appeared to be a KKK hood when he was 12.
Whether it was or not was debatable, but the ugly head of the cancel culture witch hunt reared its ugly head and that was the end for Caleb Kennedy. Now, the fallen American Idol star has been charged with a DUI originally running for a 25-year-long sentence.
A Reduced Sentence For American Idol DUI Charge
In a glimmer of good luck, Caleb Kennedy netted himself a great legal team. With their help, he has managed to end up with a significantly shorter sentence.
The original charges claimed that the American Idol star was DUI after hitting a vape pen and being on Prozac. He drove his car off the road and hit 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris as he stood outside his garage. The man died, and Caleb Kennedy was arrested back in 2017.
Since then he has been under house arrest while his lawyers duke it out. They argued that the American Idol didn't know the vape contained THC, and that the Prozac he was on was incredibly minimal during the DUI. Sadly, however, THC is illegal in South Carolina, so it is still a criminal offense.
Making their argument to the courts, Kennedy's lawyers said "He's got no record, and he was a minor when this happened. This wasn't such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC." This was a tragic but honest mistake.
Their case held strong and the 25-year-long DUI sentence for the American Idol failure has been drastically reduced. Their hard work has managed to reduce the sentence to 8 years. However, he can spend 3 years in house arrest, and a $15,100 fine. He will also be credited with time served since 2017. This means he should only end up spending 2 years in prison.
