Prosecutors in Georgia dropped homicide charges against a teenager accused of fatally running over his teacher with his truck when a high school prank turned tragic. Jayden Wallace, 18, and a group of other students came to the Gainesville home of teacher and coach Jason Hughes, 40, to cover his property with toilet paper as part of an annual upperclassmen prank. Wallace struck Hughes with his truck after Hughes slipped and fell on the wet ground outside. Wallace, who viewed Hughes as a mentor, initially faced charges of vehicular homicide and reckless driving. The state then dropped the counts—a move supported by Hughes’ widow, Laura, who wanted to prevent “a separate tragedy... ruining the lives of these students.” Wallace’s attorney added that the charges were not appropriate because Wallace was not driving improperly at the time of Hughes’ death. “In the end, there was no crime—only an extremely sad and devastating accident,” defense attorney Graham McKinnon said. Though he is avoiding a potentially lengthy prison sentence, McKinnon said that “Jayden is still grieving deeply.” But that the teen “is determined to move forward eventually to live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud.” As for Hughes, his widow said he was “excited” to catch students playing pranks. His funeral is scheduled for March 14.
Read it at People
