The widow of a Georgia teacher who was accidentally run over and killed by a student fleeing a toilet-paper prank has pleaded for charges against the teenagers involved to be dropped.
Jason Hughes, 40, a maths instructor and athletics coach at North Hall High School in Gainesville, died after being struck outside his home on the night of 6 March. Five teenagers had gone to his house to wrap trees in toilet paper, a prank known as rolling. As they tried to leave in two cars, Mr Hughes emerged from his home, tripped and fell into the road, where he was run over.
Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, was arrested on charges including first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, criminal trespass and littering. The four other teenagers face lesser charges of criminal trespass and littering. All five have been released on bond.
In a statement to The New York Times, Laura Hughes said her family supports getting the charges dropped for all involved. She said her husband had anticipated the prank and was playfully waiting to catch the teens in the act rather than seeking to confront them. She added: “This is a terrible tragedy, and our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students.”
Tributes have poured in from colleagues and students. A Hall County school district spokesperson described Hughes as a passionate teacher, mentor and coach. Sophomore Olivia Williams said his death had taken a toll on many people in the community. Hughes also served as an academic coach for the school’s football team and was involved in a student mentoring and community service programme called NG3.
