Teen Arrested in De*dly School Prank Speaks Out After Charges Against Him, Others Are Dropped
Jayden Wallace “never saw Mr. Hughes,” Wallace’s attorney, said in a statement. “Jayden’s vehicle had only traveled a few feet when the accident occurred”
A teenager involved in a tragic school prank case in Georgia is now speaking publicly after charges against him and others were dropped. The incident, which began as a long-standing school tradition, took an unexpected and devastating turn.
No one had any idea the night would end in tragedy.
Hughes, 40, a beloved math teacher and golf coach at North Hall High School in Gainesville, was delighted that the students had picked his house to prank, his wife, Laura Hughes, also a math teacher at the school, said.
Hughes was heading down to where the students were because he “was excited and waiting to catch them in the act,” Laura Hughes said in a statement, The New York Times reports.
After tossing toilet paper into the trees in the Hughes’ yard, Jayden Wallace, 18, got into his pickup truck with some of the other teens inside.
“As he was leaving the home, Jayden never saw Mr. Hughes,” the teen’s attorney, Graham McKinnon, said in a statement sent to PEOPLE. “Jayden’s vehicle had only traveled a few feet when the accident occurred.”
Hughes slipped on wet pavement and was struck by the truck, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
As Hughes lay in the street, Wallace and the other teens raced to his side to administer aid until EMTs arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hughes was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died.
In the aftermath of the accident, Wallace was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, a felony, reckless driving and a misdemeanor. 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.
Calling the incident a “terrible tragedy,” Laura Hughes spoke out, saying in a statement that she did not think the teens should be charged, The New York Times reports.
“Our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” she said. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”
On Friday, District Attorney Lee Darragh announced that he was dropping all charges.
After the announcement, Wallace and his family released the statement through McKinnon expressing their gratitude for the charges being dropped.
“Jayden Wallace and his family,” the statement reads, “first want to thank Laura Hughes for her amazing compassion and spirit of forgiveness. The heartache suffered by the Wallace family in the aftermath of this horrible tragedy pales in comparison to the tremendous loss of Laura’s husband, Jason Hughes.”
As the family’s attorney, McKinnon said, “I also join them in thanking the District Attorney’s office for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit for its thorough investigation and prompt decision to dismiss all criminal charges against Jayden and the other students involved after.”
The District Attorney, McKinnon said, “was able to act swiftly because the facts and circumstances are not in dispute.”
The teens, he said, “were participating in a competitive game outside the home of their beloved teacher as part of a longtime junior-senior tradition at North Hall High School.”
Vehicular homicide charges “were not appropriate because Jayden never operated his truck in a dangerous, improper, or unsafe manner,” McKinnon 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 eventually to live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud,” McKinnon added.
The statement continues, saying the Wallace family would also like to thank the North Hall community for its prayers and loving support. “Parents Jeremy and Kristen Wallace, along with their son Jayden, also encourage donations to the GoFundMe account for the Hughes family and your continued prayers.”
