The Carroll County school bus driver who crashed in October, causing the death of one student, will likely face only a misdemeanor charge or two.
A prosecutor told Channel 2 Action News on Thursday that there were no aggravating circumstances in the Oct. 4 crash that would elevate the case against Kenneth Ross Herringdine to a felony.
Fourteen students were riding the bus from Temple High School to a nearby vocational school when it went off the right side of Highway 113 and into a ditch. James Rashawn Walker, 17, an aspiring graphic designer who played on Temple High's football team, was killed. The other 13 were injured.
"It's an accident, absolutely, no question about that," Carroll County Solicitor Doug Vassy told Linda Stouffer of Channel 2 Action News.
Stouffer said a Georgia State Police report on the incident has been in the solicitor's hands for about a month. It's several hundred pages long, and Vassy said he needs another couple weeks before finalizing his decision.
Vassy is considering two possible misdemeanor charges: vehicular homicide in the second degree and failure to maintain a lane.
To bring felony charges, there would have to be an aggravating offense. But state police have said from the beginning that Herringdine was not suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor conviction is a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
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