Charges dropped against teens in Hall County teacher’s death

“The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is tasked with making appropriate charges in cases where there is evidence to do so, even when the decision to bring charges is difficult and could be viewed negatively by the public,” the spokesperson said. “It is the responsibility of the district attorney’s office to determine how to handle those charges through adjudication. We respect Mr. Darragh’s decision to dismiss the charges in this incident.”

All the teens previously faced charges of criminal trespass and littering on private property. The driver of the pickup truck that ran over Hughes had been arrested and faced additional charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving, law enforcement previously said.

Graham McKinnon, who represented the teen previously facing the most severe charges, told reporters his client continues to grieve and is determined to “live his life in a way that would make coach Hughes proud.” McKinnon, speaking during a news conference outside his Gainesville law office, described Hughes as a mentor to his client.

McKinnon said he could not speak about why Darragh ultimately decided to drop the charges but said there was a lot of public support for the move. He called the incident a “devastating accident” and said the vehicular homicide charge was “not appropriate” because his client did not drive in an “unsafe, dangerous or improper manner.”

“There was no dispute as to the facts of this case, and we had the generous support, forgiveness and understanding of Mrs. Hughes, so she encouraged Lee Darragh to dismiss the charges, as well,” McKinnon said.

Soon after the incident, Hughes’ family called on prosecutors to drop the charges to “prevent a separate tragedy from occurring.”

“Jason loved these students and they loved him too,” Hughes’ family said in a statement. “Our family fully supports getting the charges dropped for all involved.”

They called the teacher’s death a terrible tragedy and said “ruining the lives of these students” would be “counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”

The AJC has reached out to Darragh for comment.

A funeral service for Hughes will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Family Church in Gainesville. Because of how many people are expected to show their support, the service also will be livestreamed.

The family has asked that parking at the church be reserved for relatives, close friends, school co-workers and those directly impacted by Hughes’ life.

It’s been a week since the incident happened just before midnight March 6. Hughes came out of his home and approached the students pulling the prank, and then tripped and fell into the street, authorities previously said. The 40-year-old father of two was then run over as the teens attempted to leave the neighborhood in two vehicles, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said the teens stopped and tried to help the teacher as emergency crews responded to the home along North Gate Drive. Hughes died at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Hughes and his wife both taught math at North Hall High School, according to a 2023 post on a website introducing school faculty and staff. He also participated in NG3, a Christian mentoring organization that partners with high schools, according to that organization’s website.