The widow of a Georgia teacher fatally run over by a student during a prank at his home is now asking prosecutors to back off. Authorities say five Gainesville teens went to North Hall High School teacher Jason Hughes' house just before midnight Friday to toss toilet paper. According to Hughes' widow, the 40-year-old teacher was in on the joke and eager to surprise them. But he slipped on the wet ground and fell into the street as the students scrambled back into their vehicles, the Hall County Sheriff's Office says, and was struck and killed by 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace's pickup, per the New York Times.
The incident was part of an annual "junior/senior" war in which students are awarded points for targeting teachers' homes, but lose points if they're caught in the act, per the New York Post. Hours before Friday's incident, the Hall County School District had called for an end to the tradition, saying students had gone "too far" and caused property damage in previous years.
Wallace, who stopped and tried to provide aid to Hughes, is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, criminal trespass, and littering; the four other 18-year-olds present face misdemeanor trespass and littering counts. All have been released on bond. In a statement, Laura Hughes, who also teaches at North Hall, said her husband and the students "loved one another" and urged that the charges be dropped to prevent this "terrible tragedy" from "ruining the lives of these students." Wallace faces up to 15 years if convicted as charged.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
