BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB). – Laine Hardy, the winner of American Idol and a Louisiana native, was arrested on Friday and charged with eavesdropping on communications at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Hardy surrendered to the LSU Police Department on Thursday after a warrant was issued, according to WAFB.
LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard stated, "Hardy was arrested by LSU Police today and put into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for violation of 15:1303 - Interception and Disclosure of Wire, Electronic, or Oral Communication."
According to the arrest warrant, on April 6, a lady and her roommate discovered a recording device inside their dorm room at LSU's Azalea Hall. They went to the cops the next day to report their discovery.
According to the warrant, she informed officers she discovered the recording device, which looked like a phone charger, under her couch.
Hardy had previously been in a relationship with the lady, she said. According to the request, police discovered evidence of hidden recordings made over ten days in February of this year.
He stated he obtained a warrant as a result of the charges against him in a Facebook post-Thursday evening, and he is cooperating with LSU police.
"I recognize that my work has put me into the public eye, and I welcome it entirely since my entire world belongs to my music and my fans," he said. "However, given the sensitivity of this claim, I respectfully request privacy at this time." I have the highest respect for the law and will continue to help them as needed in their inquiry."
In 2019, Hardy, a native of French Settlement, Louisiana, won the popular show's 17th season.
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