Doug Kiker, 'American Idol' Singing Garbage Man, Arrested

An American Idol contestant who brought judge Katy Perry to tears with a Rascal Flatts cover has been arrested. Doug Kiker — known as the show's singing garbage man in 2020 — was taken into custody in Alabama on misdemeanor domestic violence charges on Thursday night (May 13).

TMZ reports that the charge is for harassment. Kiker was arrested when police responded to a report that involved him and an unnamed adult woman who called 911, determining at the scene that there was probably cause for an arrest.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Department booked Kiker, with his bond set at $1,000. At the time of his appearance on American Idol, Kiker lived in Mobile, Ala.

The Truth About American Idol Singer Doug Kiker:

While not a Top 20 finalist in 2020, Kiker made quite an impression on the Idol judges and the home audience during his audition. To say he was raw would be an understatement: He didn't know how to warm up, and when asked to show his range, he said he didn't know what that meant. Luke Bryan helped Kiker finish the audition, and he moved on to Hollywood Week, where he sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in the wrong key.

Still, he returned for the finale to show off his new teeth. Apart from his untrained talent, Kiker's unpolished appearance separated him from other contestants: During auditions he was missing some teeth, and others were crooked.

Kiker shared at the time that he was auditioning for his daughter, then two years old. Since then, he and his partner have welcomed a baby girl, who appears on Kiker's Instagram page.

Kiker has not commented on the arrest. A look at the Mobile County Sheriff's Department website shows he was booked for domestic violence, third degree charges.

This has been a month of past and present American Idol singers in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and all have been country singers. Season 19 contestant Cecil Ray Baker was arrested and charged with burglary on April 17. Then, on Wednesday (May 12), 16-year-old Top 5 finalist Caleb Kennedy announced that he was no longer on the show after an old video surfaced showing him seated alongside someone in a white hood similar to those worn by Klu Klux Klan members. His mother defended him, saying he and a friend were imitating a movie and it had nothing to do with the KKK.

Season 19 of American Idol resumes on Sunday (May 16) on ABC.