A Georgia prosecutor has dropped charges against a teenager police said was driving the truck that struck and killed a high school teacher during a prank that turned deadly, the teen’s lawyer said.
Lawyer Graham McKinnon said the felony vehicular homicide charge against Jayden Ryan Wallace was dismissed. McKinnon also said prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges against four other teens who were charged in the case.
The case involved the death of Jason Hughes, a 40-year-old teacher at North Hall High School in Gainesville, and a coach. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Hughes died after being taken to a hospital, with his death reported as March 6.
Authorities said the events began late on March 6, when students went to Hughes’ home around 11:40 p.m. and started wrapping his trees with toilet paper. The students later began to drive away, the sheriff’s office said, and Hughes came outside.
McKinnon said the youths had been playing a “competitive game” that has long been a tradition at North Hall High School. He said in a statement that Wallace and his friends were playing that game and that Hughes had heard in advance about the prank and hoped to surprise the students.
Police said the truck struck Hughes, and the students stopped and rendered aid until emergency responders arrived, according to the sheriff’s office account. Hughes was brought to the hospital and later died, the sheriff’s office said.
McKinnon said the decision not to proceed with the charges reflects what he characterized as an accident rather than a crime. “In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident,” McKinnon said in the statement.
McKinnon also said vehicular homicide charges didn’t make sense because Wallace “didn’t use his car unsafely or improperly,” according to the lawyer’s statement. He added that Wallace is “still grieving deeply” and determined eventually to carry on and live his life in a way that would make Hughes proud.
Wallace’s family released a statement in which Wallace said: “I pledge to live out the remainder of my life in a manner that honors the memory of Coach Hughes by exemplifying Christ. He will never be forgotten,” the report said.
Earlier this week, the victim’s family urged authorities not to compound the tragedy by prosecuting the students. In a statement, the family said it was determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring that would “ruin the lives of these students,” and said such action would be “counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”