Former The Voice contestant Kata Hay has been arrested after she was allegedly involved in a deadly crash that happened in Tennessee.
Hay, whose legal name is Kata Huddleston, was arrested on Wednesday, December 17, near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on a warrant for vehicular homicide, according to jail records viewed by Us Weekly. She is currently in custody at Osage County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on January 22, 2026
While Hay was arrested in Oklahoma, the incident leading to the arrest took place in Tennessee. After investigators in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, launched an investigation, she was tracked to Oklahoma when authorities received multiple tips about her location, according to News on 6.
Investigators believe that Hay left Tennessee following the crash. However, authorities have not released details regarding the circumstances of the crash.
The Goodlettsville Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
After Hay has her extradition hearing in Osage County, it is likely that she will be sent back to Davidson County, Tennessee, as the case continues to be investigated.
Additionally, Tennessee officials have not yet formally charged Hay for her connection to the crime, according to News of 6. It is expected that she will be facing charges once she’s returned to custody in Tennessee.
It is not currently known why Hay was in Oklahoma at the time of her arrest, though she was notably born in Skiatook, Oklahoma.
Hay previously rose to fame when competed on NBC’s The Voice in 2016. She made it to the blind auditions portion of the show during season 10, where judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams were all impressed with her performance of Gretchen Wilson’s song “Redneck Woman” and they all turned their chairs.
Hay ultimately selected Aguilera, 45, to be her coach, and the two memorably shared a kiss after the contestant declared that Aguilera was her first “girl crush.”
She successfully made it through the battle rounds and the knockout rounds before she was eliminated during week one of the live playoffs on April 11, 2016.
Following her elimination from The Voice, Hay has continued to pursue a music career and has released new songs in recent years.
Hay’s recent arrest is not the first time she’s run into trouble with the law. In 2022, she was arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with her friend’s son. According to legal documents viewed by TMZ, the alleged incident began when she made sexual comments about a 16-year-old boy in front of his parents. Authorities added that Hay was temporarily staying at the family’s home at the time of the incident.
In addition to the inappropriate comments, the teen claimed that Hay made out with him and forced him to touch her multiple times.
The legal documents also noted that the teen’s mother turned in a recording of Hay acknowledging that the incident took place. Hay pleaded guilty to the charges in August 2022 and was sentenced to six months in prison, according to WKRN.
Additionally, TMZ reported that Hay currently has a DUI case open in Davidson County. She has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage estimated to be more than $1,500, as well as driving with an open container of alcohol. The DUI case is currently ongoing.
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