Wife of teacher killed in prank wants charges dropped
The heartbroken wife of a teacher who died when his students ran over him has called for charges against them to be dropped.
Jason Hughes, 40, went after five teenagers as they threw toilet rolls over trees in front of his garden on Friday night.
The maths teacher at North Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia, went to chase them, but slipped on the rain-soaked ground and fell over just as they were driving off.
Jason Hughes with his wife and children. Pic: GoFundMe
A vehicle driven by Jayden Wallace, 18, ran over him at about 11.40pm.
He was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, criminal trespass, reckless driving, and littering.
Four others, the same age, Elijah Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Luque, and Ariana Cruz, were charged with criminal trespass and littering on private property.
Jason Hughes. Pic: Facebook
They all stayed behind to help Hughes after seeing what had happened.
Jason’s wife, Laura, who is also a teacher at the school, has now told the New York Times that he wasn’t going to confront them, but wanted to ‘catch them in the act’.
Calling for the charges to be dropped, she said: ‘This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students.
Jayden Wallace, 18, was arrested and charged in connection with the death of Hughes Pic: Hall County Sheriff’s Department
‘This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.’
County District Attorney Lee Darragh, who will decide whether to prosecute the teens, told the Associated Press he ‘does not have enough information’ on the case to comment.
Hughes, a father of two and golf coach, had worked at Hall County Public Schools for more than eight years.
Students remembered him as a ‘well-known guy’ who was always there for them.
Shayden Maynor, a former student of Hughes’, told WANF: ‘He’s helped me through some pretty hard times, too, and he was just a great guy all the way around. It’s a very sad tragedy of what our community has lost.’
Just days before the tragedy, school officials warned parents and pupils that pranks during prom season often go ‘too far’.
These ‘destructive’ pranks are sometimes known as ‘Junior/Senior Wars’, according to the district’s Facebook post .
They added: ‘Damaging property can lead to criminal charges, not to mention the potential repercussions on your participation in graduation ceremonies and other special events planned for this time of year.
‘We cannot stress enough the importance of making responsible choices and thinking about the long-term impact of your actions.’
