Caleb Kennedy, the former American Idol finalist accused of a fatal DUI, has been denied bond by a judge in South Carolina.
The 17-year-old must remain behind bars, Circuit Judge Grace Gilchrist Knie ruled last Friday, because he would present a danger to himself and others if he was released.
Kennedy was arrested in February and charged with driving under the influence resulting in death. According to police, he drove off the road into a private driveway and slammed into 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris, who later died in hospital.
MORE: American Idol Airs Laine Hardy Performance Days After His Arrest
Prosecutors said a toxicology test found Kennedy had marijuana and Prozac in his system at the time of the crash.
If convicted, Kennedy could spend up to 25 years in prison.
The teen made it to the Top 5 of Idol in 2021 but was forced off the show after a three-second video clip surfaced showing him with someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. “I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’m so sorry!”
Kennedy auditioned for Idol with an original song and went on to cover songs by artists like Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson.