For the third time in a year, Wynonna Judd’s troubled daughter has been arrested. Grace Kelley, 28, was taken into custody in Albemarle County, Va., on a raft of charges relating to the alleged theft of a church van. She was taken to Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail according to a police spokesman. In response to the theft, the church set up a crowdfunding campaign with a $30,000 goal.
Kelly was charged with seven charges — including three counts of felony grand larceny, driving without a license, destruction of property with intent, failure to use headlights, and setting in motion a vehicle with intent to commit a crime, says the Albermarle County Police Department. She allegedly stole the van from Ground Zero Church of the Nazarene.
Pastor Kent Hart relayed how “Our green church van and trailer were stolen from in front of our pastor’s home by Grace Pauline Kelley. Grace is currently in police custody.” The van was written off after the joy ride. In a statement, the pastor explained how “crucial” the vehicle is to the ministry and how devastating the damage was to the small congregation.
“The van was damaged during the theft and after being inspected by a body shop, the insurance has determined it to be a total loss. The van was only valued at $3,800 and after the body shop fees and deductible, we are only left with around $2,200. We are a small church and cannot afford to buy another van in the current market,” the Pastor explained.
“We are currently meeting in rented locations. We hold two services in Charlottesville VA, One service is held at 10 am in Jackson-Via Elementary School and the other service is held at 12:30 pm in Crescent Halls. Our van is used to haul our church trailer that houses all of the equipment and cooking supplies needed for our Sunday services” he said. ” It is also used to transport congregation members (youth and adults) to and from church on Sunday.”
Pastor Hart graciously forgave Judd’s daughter: “We want the community to know that on a personal level, we have forgiven Grace Kelley.” he added We have continued to pray for her reconciliation, rehabilitation, and redemption every Sunday.” He added, “We hold no animosity towards Grace and we hope and pray the best for her and her family.”
Kelly has been plagued by run-ins with the law. In August of last year, she was booked in Carroll County Jail in Georgia. She was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving with a suspended/revoked license, and not using motorcycle equipment properly. She was released within 24 hours on $2,750 bond. Earlier that year, she was arrested again.
In April of the same year, she was arrested in Alabama. She was charged with indecent exposure and obstructing governmental operations. Less than a week later she was slapped with an additional charge of soliciting prostitution. Allegedly, she exposed herself to a busy highway. The charge was dropped and the indecent exposure charge was reduced to public lewdness. She pled guilty to all charges.