Former The Voice contestant Kata Hay has been taken into police custody in Oklahoma on a vehicular homicide warrant.
Hay, who competed on Season 10 of the NBC singing competition in 2016 and chose Christina Aguilera as her coach, was arrested on Wednesday, December 17, and booked into the Osage County Jail. Online records list her charges as “fugitive from justice” and a hold for Tennessee.
The day prior, the Goodlettsville Police Department in Tennessee asked the public for help locating Hay, using her legal name, Kata Huddleston. A flyer posted on social media detailed her outstanding warrant in connection with a motor vehicle crash on Long Hollow Pike near I-65. Authorities noted she might have been traveling to Oklahoma with a white male and possibly towing a camper.
The police later confirmed via Facebook that Hay had been arrested in Oklahoma and would be extradited back to Davidson County.
On The Voice, Hay made an impression with her audition performance of Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman”, earning chair turns from Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, and Adam Levine. Before selecting Aguilera as her coach, she shared a lighthearted moment with the singer, joking about being Aguilera’s “official first girl crush,” which Aguilera returned with a playful response. Hay advanced to the Top 20 but was eliminated in the first week of the live playoffs.
The news comes shortly after The Voice concluded its 28th season, with Aiden Ross, coached by Niall Horan, winning the title. Ross shared with TV Insider that Horan’s advice to “treat every performance like any other” helped him stay grounded and ultimately contributed to his victory.