A Georgia teenager is facing a homicide charge after running over a high school teacher in an attempt to flee the scene of a prank on Friday night.
Jayden Ryan Wallace, 18, is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, criminal trespass and littering, according to a statement from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Wallace was allegedly with four other people when they “rolled” the trees with toilet paper outside a North Hall High School teacher’s residence.
The group got into two vehicles when Jason Hughes, a math teacher, exited the house, the statement said.
“As Wallace began driving his pickup truck on North Gate Drive, Hughes tripped and fell into the road and was run over by the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said.
The teens stopped and attempted to help Hughes after he was hit. Deputies arrived at the scene at 11:40 p.m. and Hughes was taken to a hospital by the fire department.
Hughes, 40, died at the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said that the incident is still under investigation and the other four people involved have been charged with criminal trespass and littering.
There was no court record for Wallace’s case as of Sunday and it is unclear whether he has retained an attorney. Inmate records showed he was still in police custody Sunday morning.
Hall County School District Superintendent Will Schofield said the district was heartbroken over Hughes’ death and praying for his family.
“Jason Hughes was a loving husband, a devoted father; a passionate teacher, mentor, and coach who was loved and respected by students and colleagues,” Schofield said in a statement over the weekend.
In addition to his work at the high school, Hughes worked as the North Hall school director for an organization called NG3. The organization says it is focused on helping to develop “character in high school students” through community service and mentorship.
Hughes wrote in his profile on the organization’s website that he spent 10 years teaching in Gwinnett before he and his wife moved to Gainesville, Georgia. He and his wife, Laura, both teach math at North Hall High School and “are immersing ourselves in the North Hall community,” the profile said.
A post on the NG3 Facebook page said that Hughes had been on staff with the organization for seven years and was “a vital piece of helping grow this ministry beyond the boundaries of just his community.” It added that Hughes’ hard work and kindness impacted everyone he met.
“The way he invested in his family, his community, and the next generation has changed the trajectory of so many,” the post said.
Shayden Maynor, a former North Hall student, told NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta that he was able to reach out to Hughes whenever he had questions or personal issues even after graduating. Maynor was one of many who gathered at North Hall High School on Saturday to pay their respects to Hughes.
“We grieved together, we laughed, we made jokes, and it was just really bad for the community that we has lost somebody so special like that,” Maynor said.
