American Idol season 17 winner Laine Hardy could get a second chance
After the Louisiana State University issued a warrant for Laine Hardy’s arrest last spring for wiretapping his ex-girlfriend, it looks like the American Idol season 19 winner will have the opportunity to wipe the charge off of his record completely.
According to WAFB TV, his criminal charges in East Baton Rouge Parish will be wiped from his record as long as he meets certain conditions of a pre-trial program through the District Attorney’s Office.
Laine entered the program at the beginning of March. While the specific conditions tied to his case are kept private, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says, generally, people who go through the program satisfy the court by enrolling in targeted behavior management courses and/or completing community service.
Pre-trial program for non-violent offenders
Moore says the program can be a second chance for non-violent offenders. The program introduces offenders to tools that allow them to handle situations better in the future.
“Anyone that is available for this program, we’re going to consider. I don’t care who you are or what you are. I mean we have to be fair to everyone, regardless of their position in life, and that’s what we try to do,” he explained.
Laine recently appeared on American Idol after being banished after his arrest
The news goes a long way toward explaining why Laine suddenly popped up on last week’s (March 26) American Idol audition episode. When authorities arrested Laine a few days before he was set to appear on a special “Great Idol Reunion” episode, the singer was scrubbed clean from the show’s video and socials page. It was too late to edit him out of the pre-taped episode, but he effectively became persona non-grata.
Months later, he announced that he and 19 Recordings/Hollywood Records parted ways. It’s unclear if the label dropped him after poor sales of his album, or his arrest. Laine has been keeping a very low profile all year.
But then he popped up with fellow season 17 singer, Laci Kaye Booth to speak with an encourage the contestants in Nashville. The episode was filmed last fall, but producers may have learned that Laine was working hard to learn from his mistakes.
LSU Police issued a warrant for Laine’s arrest in April 2022
Louisiana State University (LSU) Police issued a warrant for Laine in April of 2022. The singer’s ex-girlfriend told campus police she found a recording device under a futon inside of her dorm room at Azalea Hall. The pair dated for about four months, police noted in Laine’s arrest warrant.
The victim told police she first confronted him because he knew a suspicious amount of detail about what she did during her Christmas break. Laine allegedly admitted to planting a “bug” but claimed he disposed of it in his pond. The victim also provided police a screenshot of a text conversation where he admitted to leaving the device in her dorm.
