Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, was behind the wheel when high school teacher Jason Hughes was fatally run over in a prank gone wrong earlier this month
Credit: Jason Hughes/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- The Georgia teenager who was driving the car when beloved high school teacher Jason Hughes was killed was not operating the vehicle “in a dangerous or unsafe matter,” his lawyer said
- Hughes was run over and killed in an alleged prank that went wrong earlier this month
- Charges against driver Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18 — as well as the four other teens involved — have since been dropped
When Georgia high school teacher Jason Hughes was run over and killed in an alleged prank that went wrong earlier this month, Jayden Ryan Wallace, one of Hughes' students, was driving responsibly, according to his lawyer.
Graham McKinnon, Wallace's lawyer, told TMZ in a statement that the 18-year-old was not driving his pickup truck "in a dangerous or unsafe matter" when the teen, with four other individuals in his car, ran over Hughes, after the teacher tripped and fell into the road outside his home.
McKinnon, who described Hughes as a "mentor" to his client, said it would not be "appropriate to charge a crime," claiming that the incident was accidental.
Wallace was initially charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, a felony, reckless driving and a misdemeanor, while the four other teens — Elijah Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Luque and Ariana Cruz, all 18 — were charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespassing and littering. Prosecutors have since dropped all charges against the teenagers, and local District Attorney Lee Darragh confirmed to PEOPLE the action was taken after Hughes' widow, Laura Hughes, also a math teacher at the high school, said she supported having the charges dropped to prevent a "separate tragedy … ruining the lives of these students."
McKinnon did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, March 15.
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Credit: gofundme
Hughes, 40, was struck outside his Gainesville, Ga., home on Friday, March 6, according to a news release from the Hall County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).
The teacher, also a golf coach at North Hall High School, “tripped and fell into the road and was run over” as the teens pulled a prank — a long-held tradition among students — involving toilet paper, authorities said. The local school district had warned students against excessive hijinks, however, explaining that pranks in years past had "gone too far, resulting in damage to property."
Hughes slipped, as rain had left the pavement outside his home slippery, the sheriff’s office said. Wallace and the other teens stopped and administered aid to Hughes until emergency responders arrived at the scene. He was then rushed to a local hospital, where he later died.
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In a prior statement, Wallace's attorney thanked D.A. 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," said McKinnon. "In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident."
The attorney also praised Hughes' widow for showing "remarkable compassion" and a "spirit of forgiveness," but he explained that his client remains deeply shaken by the tragedy. "Jayden is still grieving deeply but is determined to move forward eventually to live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud," McKinnon said.
Credit: Jason Hughes/Facebook
A funeral service was held for Hughes at Family Church in Gainesville on Saturday, March 14, according to his online obituary.
The church said that, "because of Jason’s widespread influence on so many," it anticipated "many people will want to attend his memorial service," so the religious organization asked that the church building be reserved for those who knew Hughes closely “and were directly impacted by his life, work, and ministry."
In lieu of flowers, Hughes' family requested that donations be made to NG3, a.k.a. Next Generation 3, which fosters character development and mentoring in local schools.
Hughes, a father of two young boys, served as the North Hall School Director of the organization.
A GoFundMe has since been set up after Hughes' death to help support his family and start a college fund for his sons.
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