Wynonna Judd’s daughter Grace Pauline Kelley was denied temporary release from a Virginia jail after her attorney told the court she was expecting her second child and was scheduled to deliver by C-section. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Kelley’s legal team sought permission for her to leave custody for the procedure and immediate recovery. Judge Clark A. Ritchie denied the request during a July hearing.
Kelley is serving a 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to driving with a suspended or revoked license following an October 2025 arrest. The latest court proceedings provide new details about the request her attorney made on her behalf and how officials planned to handle the scheduled medical procedure while she remained in custody.
Wynonna Judd’s Daughter Sought Temporary Release Ahead of Childbirth
In the court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Kelley’s attorney filed a motion on July 2 seeking her temporary release from custody. In the motion, Kelley’s attorney told the court that she was expecting her second child around Aug. 16 and was scheduled to deliver by C-section. The lawyer argued that the procedure would require Kelley to be “confined to bed” for three days and requested that she be permitted to leave custody for the delivery and immediate recovery.
Kelley’s attorney further argued that denying the request would “complicate the delivery of the child, which must be performed in a sterile operating room; prevent the child’s father from being present at the birth; [and] prevent the father and other family members from visiting [Kelley] before and after the child’s birth.”
Judge Clark A. Ritchie denied the request during a July 16 hearing, according to the court documents. Kelley appeared virtually from custody for the proceeding. The documents cited by PEOPLE state that the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office would instead escort Kelley to a hospital for the scheduled procedure. The medical details described in the case come from representations made by Kelley’s attorney in seeking her temporary release.
Court Records Detail Grace Kelley’s Previous Cases
Kelley’s current incarceration follows several previous criminal cases, although the outcomes have varied. In April 2024, Kelley was arrested in Millbrook, Alabama, on charges of indecent exposure and obstructing governmental operations, according to arrest records reviewed by USA TODAY. A soliciting-prostitution charge was subsequently added. Court filings later cited by Alabama station WSFA showed that the solicitation charge was dismissed and that Kelley entered guilty pleas to public lewdness and obstructing governmental operations.
In August 2024, Kelley was arrested in Carroll County, Georgia. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, she was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license and improper use of motorcycle equipment. Police records showed that she spent one day in the Carroll County Jail before being released on $2,750 bond.
Another case followed in Virginia in October 2024. Kelley was initially charged with multiple offenses following an incident involving a van belonging to Ground Zero Church of the Nazarene. The Daily Progress later reported on the proceedings in Albemarle County General District Court, where Kelley accepted a plea agreement in December 2024. Under the agreement, she pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of drugs and petty larceny. She spent approximately six weeks in jail.
Kelley later discussed that incident herself, telling The Daily Progress that she had been “hallucinating” after taking what she described as “bad drugs.” In an August 2025 interview with PEOPLE, Kelley said she had since become sober and was focused on rebuilding her life.
Wynonna Judd Has Spoken About Raising Her Granddaughter
Kelley is also the mother of daughter Kaliyah, born in 2022. Wynonna has publicly discussed raising her granddaughter, including during a January 2025 appearance on “Today with Jenna & Friends.” “This past year, I’ve learned so much about myself, and now that I’m with my grandbaby 24/7, I’m learning that there is life after death,” Wynonna said while discussing her life with Kaliyah following the 2022 death of her mother, Naomi Judd.
Kelley later addressed the family situation from her perspective. In an interview with PEOPLE, she said Wynonna had custody of Kaliyah and claimed a restraining order covering Wynonna and the child prevented her from having contact with her daughter. Kelley said at the time that it had been “a couple of years” since she had seen Kaliyah.
Those statements reflected Kelley’s account of the family arrangement. Wynonna has publicly discussed raising Kaliyah but has not publicly addressed every claim Kelley made about their relationship. For Kelley’s current case, the court documents obtained by PEOPLE state that her attorney asked for temporary release based on the medical circumstances described in the July 2 motion. Judge Ritchie denied that request, leaving arrangements for the scheduled hospital visit to be handled while Kelley remained in custody.
