Discovery Channel star Chad Ollinger reportedly told police that he killed his jail cellmate because he believed the man was a pedophile, according to his arrest record obtained by the local Fox affiliate KVVU on Monday.
Ollinger, 41, allegedly strangled his cellmate, 42-year-old Chris Kelly, at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, then slammed Kelly’s face into a metal pole.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Office of Public Information previously announced on December 27 that Ollinger had been rebooked on an open murder charge for the death of his cellmate.
According to the publication, the arrest report indicates that Ollinger told investigators that he was gifted with a ‘supernatural ability’ that allowed him to read people’s minds and learn intimate details about them.
Police reportedly said he confessed to murdering Kelly, and he described it as a ‘righteous’ act because he ‘knew’ the man was a pedophile, though he didn’t supply any evidence of that claim, according to reports of the arrest record.
The Daily Mail has contacted Ollinger’s public defender, the Clark County Detention Center and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for more information, but has not yet received a response.
Discovery Channel star Chad Ollinger, 41, told police he had a ‘supernatural ability’ that told him his cellmate was a pedophile before he allegedly strangled him to death on December 26, according to his LVMPD arrest report obtained by local Fox affiliate KVVU on Monday; he’s pictured in a mugshot from November 2024
Chad Ollinger, known for his role on the Discovery Channel’s Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, was arrested in Texas after an alleged run-in with police that involved both a motorcycle chase and a foot pursuit
Ollinger allegedly killed his cellmate after the prison’s evening meal on December 26, and Kelly was discovered unresponsive when staff were distributing medicine for the evening around 11:20 p.m.
According to the arrest report, Ollinger told officers that his cellmate was ‘not feeling well,’ and when they entered the cell, they found Kelly with a bloodied face.
Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, and Ollinger was moved to another cell temporarily while police photographed the crime scene and Kelly’s body.
Afterward, they reportedly moved to take pictures of Ollinger’s injuries, at which point he told them, ‘Good luck cracking the case.’
According to KVVU, the arrest report indicates that police interviewed inmates in neighboring cells, who described hearing a vicious fight.
One inmate reportedly said they heard a man scream, ‘They’re beating me, they’re killing me… help me.’
According to the arrest report, Ollinger told police that he suffers memory loss affecting recent memories while being interviewed.
However, he said he had never been professionally diagnosed with memory loss, and he also claimed that he doesn’t suffer from any mental illness and isn’t taking any medications and hadn’t recently been drinking or doing drugs.
According to the police report, Ollinger told investigators that he must have done something serious to Kelly if he wasn’t able to remember it.
The arrest record notes that, after claiming that his ‘supernatural ability’ had told him that Kelly was a pedophile, Ollinger allegedly said, ‘If I know something about somebody that’s bad, I take care of it.’
However, he admitted to police that he had no hard evidence to believe his cellmate was a pedophile, and it was only his special power that led him to believe that, according to reports describing the arrest record.
Ollinger, 41, (pictured) allegedly strangled his cellmate, 42-year-old Chris Kelly, at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, then slammed Kelly’s face into a metal pole
According to KVVU, the arrest report describes Ollinger admitting that the killing was a spur-of-the-moment act, and it said he told police that as soon as he begins to ‘know’ things, he ‘snaps.’
Ollinger allegedly said he had no emotional reaction to killing his cellmate, and he told officers that he wasn’t worried about going to prison for the crime, even if it meant a life sentence.
Although the report allegedly described Ollinger initially saying he didn’t remember killing Kelly, he later told police that he strangled his cellmate for four or five minutes as Kelly screamed for help.
The Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch star allegedly told police that Kelly had been on the bottom bunk of the cell when they arrived because he wasn’t strong enough to lift the body to the top bunk, which was Kelly’s.
Over the weekend, police announced that Ollinger is now facing an open murder charge for the death of his cellmate, which means that prosecutors are still investigating whether he will ultimately be charged with first- or second-degree murder, depending on whether they determine the crime was premeditated or committed in the heat of passion.
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch follows Ollinger and his father Duane as they continue their quest to unearth a long-rumored treasure hidden on their 160-acre property in Utah’s Uinta Basin
Kelly was found dead in their shared living space after the two allegedly got into a physical altercation, according to a press release by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Office of Public Information.
According to the LVMPD, the officers entered the cell and ‘observed the inmate was suffering from apparent blunt force injuries.’ Ollinger, his cellmate, was then taken into custody.
The victim was promptly given aid by officers, who also called for response from CCDC medical personnel.
The LVMPD Homicide Section is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Ollinger has had other run-ins with the law prior to this latest allegation.
Last year, he was taken into custody for evading arrest/detention with a vehicle and evading arrest/detention on foot, according to TMZ. He later posted bond and was subsequently released, the website reports.
Inmate records indicate that Ollinger was arrested in October 27 as a fugitive from another state. He is also facing a contempt of court charge.
Since 2021, the Discovery Channel show Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch has been following Chad Ollinger and his father, Duane, as they continue their quest to unearth a long-rumored treasure hidden on their 160-acre property in Utah’s Uinta Basin.
For over a decade, the father-son duo and their team have been digging through the property, convinced it hides an ancient Aztec fortune worth millions.
Duane has called his son as someone who ‘doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him,’ according to the younger Ollinger’s bio on the Discovery website.
‘Chad Ollinger is the son of Blind Frog Ranch owner, Duane Ollinger,’ the bio reads. ‘He is married with four children and sold his crop-dusting business and family home to help fund this year’s operation.
The Las VegasMetropolitan Police Department Office of Public Information previously announced on December 27 that Ollinger had been rebooked on an open murder charge for the death of his cellmate (seen with dad Duane)
‘Duane describes his son by saying “he doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him,” and if someone needs to SCUBA dive into an unknown cavern system 50 feet beneath the ground, it’s going to be Chad.’
Ahead of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch Season 4, Chad opened up to TV Insider about the life-threatening risks involved in the team’s treasure-hunting adventures.
‘I don’t want to push it too far where I die,’ he said, acknowledging the dangers of their pursuits, during a 2024 interview. ‘Though without risk there is no reward. I’m definitely going to keep pushing and putting myself in hairy situations, which you will see this season.’
He recalled one particularly tense moment, sharing, ‘We were in a cave one time and it got really scary really fast and we had to get out of there. That was a close call.’
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