ATLANTA (TNND) — A Georgia prosecutor on Friday dropped a vehicular homicide charge against an 18-year-old high school student who was previously accused in the death of a teacher during what authorities described as a prank that turned tragic.
The teacher, Jason Hughes, 40, died after being taken to a hospital on March 6, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jayden Ryan Wallace was arrested on a felony charge of vehicular homicide, while four other North Hall High School students were charged with misdemeanors.
The charge stemmed from an incident in which Wallace allegedly took part in a prank that led to a deadly crash involving Hughes. Investigators initially said the circumstances surrounding the incident supported a vehicular homicide charge.
The students had gone to Hughes’ home around 11:40 p.m. and began wrapping his trees with toilet paper, the sheriff’s office said. They started to leave when Hughes came outside — his family said he had heard in advance about the prank and hoped to surprise them.
As one of the students began to drive away in a pickup truck, “Hughes tripped and fell into the road and was run over,” the sheriff’s office said.
After Hughes was hit, the students stopped and tried to help him until emergency responders arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
Flowers lie along a fence outside North Hall High School in Gainesville, Ga., on Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)
Prosecutors said the decision to drop the vehicular homicide charge was based on the facts of the case and legal standards required to prove the offense in court. Hughes’ family had asked authorities to drop the charges.
While the charge was dropped, prosecutors did not immediately clarify whether other charges remain pending against Wallace.
Prosecutors did not release additional details about the evidence that led to the decision.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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