The charges against five teenagers have been dropped after they were arrested in connection to the death of beloved Georgia high school teacher Jason Hughes during a prank gone wrong.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the charges that all five teenagers were facing were dropped on Friday, March 13, District Attorney Lee Darragh confirmed to Us Weekly.
Jayden Wallace was facing vehicular homicide and reckless driving charges after he ran over Hughes, 40, while toilet papering his house on March 6 as part of the annual “Junior/Senior Wars.”
After Hughes saw five of his students at his property, he ran out of his house and tripped in front of Wallace’s car. Wallace, 18, ran over Hughes and the teacher died from his injuries.
Meanwhile, Elijah Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Luque and Ariana Cruz were also charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespassing and littering for their involvement in the prank.
Following the decision, Wallace’s attorney, Graham McKinnon, thanked District Attorney Lee Darragh for “swiftly” moving to drop the charges.
“Vehicular Homicide charges were not warranted because Jayden never operated his truck in a dangerous, improper, or unsafe manner,” McKinnon said in a statement obtained by WCNC, WDUN and 11Alive. “In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident.”
McKinnon went on to say that Hughes’ widow, Laura Hughes, showed “remarkable compassion” and a “spirit of forgiveness” when she previously showed support to have all of the charges dropped.
“Jayden is still grieving deeply but is determined to move forward eventually to live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud,” the attorney added.
After Hughes died, Laura — who is also a teacher — told The New York Times that her husband “was excited” for the annual prank and “was waiting to catch them in the act.”
She also told the outlet that she “supports getting the charges dropped for all involved.”
“This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” she continued. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”
Wallace and his parents also broke their silence about the tragedy in a statement to 11Alive on Tuesday, March 10.
“We are a family in deep remorse and grieving over such a tremendous loss in our North Hall community. Jason Hughes meant the world to our son, Jayden,” the family said at the time. “He took the time to invest in Jay and poured his love into him, making a lasting impact. Along with the rest of our family, Jay expresses his deepest sorrow and sincerest apology to the Hughes family.”
Wallace also made an individual statement to the outlet, saying that he pledged to “live out the remainder of my life in a manner that honors the memory of Coach Hughes by exemplifying Christ.” He added that Hughes “will never be forgotten.”
Hughes’ funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 14, at Family Church in Gainesville, Georgia.
