The family of a Georgia high school student who fatally ran over his teacher in what they say was a prank gone wrong described the incident as a “devastating” accident rather than a crime after prosecutors dropped the charges against him.
Jayden Wallace, an 18-year-old student at North Hall High School, had been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide in connection with the March 6 death of math teacher Jason Hughes. The charges were later dismissed, along with charges against four other students involved in the incident.
Wallace and his family expressed gratitude to Hughes’ widow, Laura Hughes, for supporting the decision to drop the charges.
“Jayden Wallace and his family first want to thank Laura Hughes for her remarkable compassion and spirit of forgiveness in the face of the tremendous loss of her husband, Jason Hughes,” Wallace’s family attorney, Graham McKinnon, said in a statement Friday to ABC News.
North Hall High School teacher Jason Hughes died from his injuries after a prank gone wrong on March 6.
“District Attorney Lee Darragh was able to act swiftly because the facts and circumstances are not in dispute. As he was leaving the home, Jayden never saw Mr. Hughes, and Jayden’s vehicle had only traveled a few feet when the accident occurred,” Wallace’s attorney said.
“In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident. Jayden is still grieving deeply but is determined to move forward and eventually live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud.”
A judge on Friday approved the dismissal of multiple charges against the 18-year-old and four other students who were toilet-papering the teacher’s Gainesville home when Hughes ran outside and slipped before being run over.
The tragic incident initially led to several charges against Wallace, including first-degree vehicular homicide, criminal trespassing, littering and reckless driving.
Charges against 18-year-old Jayden Wallace were dropped following the fatal incident.
The other teens — Elijiah Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque and Ariana Cruz — were arrested outside Hughes’ home and charged with criminal trespassing and littering.
Hughes’ wife, Laura Hughes, had previously called for the charges against the students to be dismissed, saying the death of her 40-year-old husband was a “terrible tragedy,” but not one that should ruin the lives of the teens involved.
“This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children,” she said.
Laura Hughes did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh also pushed to have the charges dismissed, noting they were initially filed without his office being contacted first.
The tragic accident occurred hours after school officials had urged students to avoid the annual senior prank tradition, warning that in previous years some students had taken the pranks “too far.”
