Jason Hughes, Gainesville, Georgia teacher killed in student prank gone wrong as man’s family urge prosecutors to drop vehicular homicide against student driver, Jayden Ryan Wallace, as wife Laura argues it would be a tragedy to send the five students to prison.
Should the DA drop charges? The wife of a Gainesville, Georgia, teacher who died the result of a late night prank at the hands of his students is urging prosecutors to drop charges against the teens involved, calling the incident a ‘terrible tragedy’ but not a crime.
Jason Hughes, 40, a math teacher at North Hall High School and father of two, died Friday night after he was struck by a pickup as pupils fled his home during a toilet-paper ‘rolling’ prank on March 5, authorities said.
Student prank gone wrong
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said five 18-year-olds went to Hughes’ home around 11:40 p.m. to drape his yard in toilet paper as part of an annual junior-senior prank war. When Hughes came outside and approached, the teens tried to leave in two vehicles and he fell into the street, where one truck hit him; the educator later died at a local hospital.
The horrified teens stopped to check on Hughes and provided first aid until emergency responders arrived and transported him to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The incident led to Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, the truck’s driver being charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, criminal trespass and littering on private property.
Wallace’s accused co-pranksters — Elijiah Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque, and Ariana Cruz, all 18 — were arrested outside Hughes’ home and charged with criminal trespass and littering.
Family ask that charges against students be dropped as school officials had warned hours before that the prank was in danger of going too far
In a statement released Sunday, Hughes’ wife, Laura, who also teaches at North Hall High, said her family ‘fully supports getting the charges dropped for all involved.’
Adding, ‘This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,’ while adding pursuing prison time ‘would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.’
Hughes family told the New York Times that the math teacher knew the students were coming and was excited. But because it had been raining, the educator slipped and fell into the road right as Jayden Wallace drove by in his pickup, running over the math teacher.
The family fully ‘supports getting the charges dropped for all involved,’ the grieving widow said, saying her husband loved the students, who face up to 15 years in prison.
District officials had warned students just hours earlier that the yearly prank war was in danger of going ‘too far.’
The Hall County District Attorney’s Office has not released a statement as of Monday.
A GoFundMe page for Jason Hughes family has to date surpassed $221K.
The fundraiser will help the family with immediate expenses and set up a college fund for their sons.
