As former American Idol fifth season finalist Kellie Pickler tries to cement her future as a recording artist and actress, her father apparently can't help himself from reliving the past.

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Clyde Raymond Pickler Jr., the 42-year-old father of the Idol 5 sixth-place finisher, was arrested last Friday and charged with three felony counts of larceny of a motor vehicle and one felony count of obtaining property under false pretense, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.  Clyde is reportedly accused of pilfering old, abandoned and disabled vehicles and then turning them around and selling them to scrap yards -- basically running a "chop shop." 

He was arrested in Albemarle, NC -- Kellie's hometown -- and reportedly remains in Stanly County jail on a $26,000 secured bond with a court date set for July 9.  However he'll appear in-front of a judge before then, as he's scheduled for a court date this week to face misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle without a license as well as on Tuesday, June 12 for another misdemeanor larceny charge, The AP reported citing court documents.

Last spring when Kellie was competing on Idol while her father was completing a three-year prison term in Florida on charges of felony battery and aggravated assault for stabbing his neighbor in 2003, he expressed regret that he was unable to be their for his daughter's big moment. 

Despite Clyde's claims that he wanted to become a "productive member of Stanly County instead of a menace" upon his release last May, that hasn't been the case so far.  In mid-February, North Carolina police arrested Clyde for allegedly assaulting a female companion with a steak knife and he was charged with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, misdemeanor assault on a female and a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
Christopher Rocchio is an entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and has covered the reality TV genre for several years.