Wynonna Judd’s daughter has found herself on the wrong side of the law once again.
Grace Kelley, the daughter of country music legend Wynonna Judd and Arch Kelley III, has once again found herself behind bars, and by my math, that’s the third time this year she’s been arrested.
Kelley’s troubled past has been well-documented over the years, and she sadly continues to struggle with drug-related issues. She was arrested in 2016 for making, selling, and distributing methamphetamine. and sentenced to 8 years in prison, however she plead guilty in exchange for a suspended sentence and court mandated rehab. She left treatment early and was then sent to prison in 2018. She was paroled and released in 2019, and then arrested again for violating parole in 2021. She was arrested once more in May of 2023 for violating the terms of her parole, and subsequently released from Putnam County Jail five months later, in October 2023.
And then in April of 2024, Kelley was arrested in Alabama for indecent exposure. She was also charged with obstructing governmental operations. Police say she “exposed her breasts and lower body” at the intersection of I-65 and Highway 14, and when confronted by officers, sat on the side of the road and refused to comply. They later added soliciting prostitution to the charges.
In August, Kelley was arrested in Georgia, and sent to Carroll County Jail on charges of fleeing or attempting to allude an officer, driving with a suspended/revoked license and using motorcycle equipment improperly, public records show. She was released on $2,750 bond. She failed to appear and a bench warrant has since been issued in the state of Georgia.
And back in October, near Charlottesville Virginia, Kelley has been arrested for stealing a church van. According to Daily Progress, Pastor Kent Hart saw the van leaving their driveway and chased after her. He caught up with her down the road, but the she took off again.
Hart, lead pastor at Ground Zero Church of the Nazarene, told Daily Progress she seems like she was on drugs (she tested positive for heroin):
“It looked to me like she could have been high, like she didn’t really seem like she was completely in her right mind.”
Albemarle police made the traffic stop and the arrest, and noted that she asked to be committed to a mental institution in the process:
“She began stating she had sold her soul to the devil.”
Unfortunately for Pastor Hart and the church, the van was destroyed and a Go Fund Me has been set up to try and help them pay for a new one. Despite the headache, Pastor Hart wishes Kelley the best and prays for her recovery.
He tells Daily Progress:
“We devoted an entire service to her. We cut the livestream off, and we, as a church, prayed for her and her family. On a personal level level, we forgive her. If there’s ever an opportunity for us to be a part of her redemptive process in any way, we’re absolutely open to that.”
If there was ever a clear picture of the damaging effects of addiction, it’s this. It’s just devastating to see this unfold over the past year, and at this point, I just feel bad for Grace. Seemingly homeless and addicted, she won’t have a chance until she can get clean. And props to Pastor Hart and the church for being quick to offer forgiveness. That’s walking the walk.
“I think she’s blocked my number. My mom, she thinks I’m on drugs, right? She wants me to go to rehab. But when I came to jail, I took a drug test, and I passed it. I’m not on drugs.
My mom won’t listen to me, she won’t believe me. She thinks I’m out here doing crazy s***.”
To be fair, stealing a church fan while high on heroin could qualify as “crazy sh*t,” but I think it’s pretty clear that Grace needs some help. Hopefully she can get into a program and get on her way to being clean. Prayers up.