Country singer and former The Voice contestant Kata Hay is facing a sweeping criminal case in Tennessee after authorities accused her of being involved in a crash that ultimately left another driver dead.
Hay, whose legal name is Kata Huddleston, was arrested in Oklahoma in December 2025 after Goodlettsville police issued a notice asking the public to help locate her in connection with a deadly crash near Interstate 65.
The case has since grown well beyond the initial vehicular homicide allegation.
Davidson County court records currently show Huddleston facing nine counts in an active felony case, including vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular homicide, DUI-related charges and allegations that she left the scene of crashes.
The case remains unresolved, and the charges are allegations unless and until proven in court.
The investigation began after a series of crashes on Dec. 10, 2025, near Long Hollow Pike in Goodlettsville, just north of Nashville.
According to an arrest affidavit previously reported by local media, police first spoke with a woman who said her vehicle had been rear-ended by a red SUV on Interstate 65 near the Long Hollow Pike exit. The SUV allegedly continued driving.
Officers were then called to another collision nearby, where witnesses reported that a red SUV had come off the interstate, struck another vehicle and again left the scene.
The driver involved in that second crash was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in critical condition.
Police later located a damaged red Kia Soul in a parking lot near Rivergate Parkway.
Authorities identified Huddleston as the driver.
According to the affidavit, officers reported smelling alcohol and said Huddleston appeared to have pinpoint pupils. Police also reported seeing a partially empty alcohol container inside the vehicle.
She was initially arrested on allegations including DUI, leaving the scene of a crash and having an open container.
The case became significantly more serious when the critically injured woman died at the hospital two days later.
Authorities subsequently obtained a vehicular homicide warrant.
Huddleston later failed to appear for a scheduled court proceeding, according to previous reports, prompting Goodlettsville police to issue a public alert saying investigators believed she could be headed toward Oklahoma.
Police said she might be traveling with a man and possibly towing a large camper.
She was ultimately arrested in Oklahoma in December before being returned to Tennessee.
Court records show that the original vehicular homicide case carried a $75,000 bond before it was closed following an indictment.
The charges were later incorporated into Davidson County case 2026-B-1294, which contains nine counts and remains active.
Those counts have been reported as including vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, two counts of leaving the scene involving significant property damage, DUI-related counts, open container and reckless endangerment.
Huddleston also has a previous DUI case in Nashville.
Davidson County court records show she was found guilty in 2021 in connection with a DUI case dating back several years.
Her legal history also includes a separate 2022 case involving unlawful sexual contact with a minor.
Huddleston pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to six months in jail, according to court reporting at the time. She was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and participate in an intensive outpatient program.
Long before her legal troubles made headlines, Huddleston built a career as country performer Kata Hay.
She gained national attention in 2016 as a contestant on Season 10 of NBC’s The Voice.
Hay impressed the coaches during the competition and eventually joined Christina Aguilera’s team. She advanced to the show’s live playoff stage before being eliminated.
A decade later, the singer is now facing a dramatically different kind of spotlight as her Tennessee criminal case continues through the courts.
The current felony case does not yet show a final disposition, meaning there has been no conviction on the pending vehicular homicide-related charges.
Further court proceedings will determine whether prosecutors can prove the allegations and what penalties Huddleston could face if convicted.
