By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A Robbinsville teenager accused of killing Superintendent of Schools Steven J. Mayer earlier this year in a hit-and-run car crash pleaded guilty to two lesser offenses on Monday and will get probation, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.
She admitted leaving the scene of the April 19 motor vehicle accident that resulted in a death and careless driving, the Prosecutor’s Office said. As for her punishment, she will have her driver’s license suspended for two years, be put on probation for three years and must perform 200 hours of community service but face no prison time. Her sentencing will be in January, the Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.
Her name has not been disclosed because she was a minor at the time of the accident, with the case being handled in family court instead of regular adult court, the Prosecutor’s Office said. Her lawyer, Scott A. Krasny, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The driver, then a 17-year-old student at Robbinsville High School, allegedly was on her cell phone on or about the time that she hit Mr. Mayer, who was jogging with his dog around 6:12 a.m. on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road near where he lived, authorities have alleged. She drove away and then called 911.
The death of Mr. Mayer, a career educator, traumatized the community. Only 52, he left behind his wife, a teacher in the Robbinsville school district, and their three sons.
A criminal investigation found that the student had been driving in a “reckless manner.” She was charged with second-degree death by auto, second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident and motor vehicle violations, including improperly using a cell phone while driving, authorities announced June 30. The Prosecutor’s Office has said she was not eligible to be waived up to adult court, where she would have faced stiffer punishments.
Mayor David Fried, reacting to Monday’s guilty plea, said Wednesday that he thinks the outcome of the case is “fair and just.”
Area defense lawyer Kim Otis said Wednesday that the plea bargain the driver had reached with the Prosecutor’s Office is common and “not out of line with what has gone on around the state in similar situations.”
“I think the resolution is fair and reasonable,” he said. “It’s not like (her) conduct was outrageous or morally wrong. She was careless and talking on her phone, which is very bad but unfortunately common. And a terrible tragedy ensued. But it’s not necessary for her to go to jail in that situation.”
A message left at the Mayer home was not returned Wednesday.
“The victim’s family was consulted in the matter and their opinion was considered,” said Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Casey A. DeBlasio by email Wednesday. “They will have the opportunity to speak to the court at the time of sentencing.”
Boyd Hannold, pastor of Princeton Alliance Church, the congregation in Plainsboro that Mr. Mayer had attended, on Wednesday offered thoughts for the family of the teen driver.
“We feel for and we’re praying for them,” he said.
