1 month ago
A confederate California female is facing an further complaint of involuntary manslaughter aft an 81-year-old man died from his injuries aft being struck by nan woman’s teen boy while he was riding an e-motorcycle, prosecutors said connected Friday.
On 16 April, Tommi Jo Mejer’s 14-year-old boy was riding a Surron e-motorcycle and doing wheelies erstwhile he deed Ed Ashman, according to prosecutors. Ashman, a erstwhile skipper successful nan US Marine Corps, was stepping location from his occupation arsenic a substitute coach astatine a precocious schoolhouse successful Lake Forest.
He was critically injured and died connected Thursday, and Mejer, of Aliso Viejo successful Orange county, was charged pinch involuntary manslaughter arsenic a consequence connected apical of a erstwhile count of felony kid endangerment.
“This mother fundamentally handed her 14-year-old boy a deadly weapon, and contempt aggregate warnings of nan dangers, continued to fto him illegally thrust an e-motorcycle until he yet killed someone,” nan Orange region territory attorney, Todd Spitzer, said successful a statement.
Mejer has not yet appeared successful court, and location was nary nationalist defender listed successful records for her. The territory attorney’s agency gave nan Associated Press nan sanction of a backstage lawyer who whitethorn beryllium representing Mejer; that personification did not instantly respond to an email seeking comment.
Mejer was besides charged pinch felony accessory aft nan truth and misdemeanor counts of contributing to nan delinquency of a insignificant and providing mendacious accusation to an officer. She could beryllium sentenced to up to 7 years and 8 months successful situation if convicted connected each counts, prosecutors said.
In June 2025, prosecutors said, Mejer called nan sheriff’s section to kick that personification was posting pictures of her boy riding nan e-motorcycle. In an relationship pinch deputies that was recorded by assemblage camera, she said she bought nan conveyance and “knew that he drove it recklessly”.
She was warned by deputies that she could look criminal charges for letting him thrust it illegally, prosecutors said.
A motorcycle is classified arsenic an e-motorcycle nether authorities rule if it has an electrical centrifugal pinch much than 750 watts of powerfulness aliases tin scope speeds supra 20mph (32km/h) without having to pedal. Riders are required to beryllium astatine slightest 16 years aged and person a motorcycle license.
The boy’s e-motorcycle is nan 2025 Surron Ultra Bee tin of reaching a apical velocity of 56mph (90km/h), according to nan manufacturer.
In nan hours aft nan April collision, Mejer told deputies that neither she nor her boy owned a Surron e-motorcycle aliases had entree to one, prosecutors said.
The territory attorney’s agency said it could not talk whether nan boy will look prosecution because it is simply a juvenile case.
Orange region prosecutors person revenge kid endangerment charges against 3 parents this twelvemonth for letting children thrust e-motorcycles illegally. And successful Contra Costa county, successful bluish California, parents were charged aft their kid collapsed into a minivan.
In nan past, prosecutions of parents were typically seen successful truancy cases since nan rule specifically mentions their liability, said Lawrence Rosenthal, a rule professor astatine Chapman University.
But parental criminal liability successful different circumstances has gained attraction successful caller years, particularly successful prosecutions and convictions related to shootings committed by minors.
“This is simply a very caller theory. There’s not a long, robust history,” Rosenthal said.
In nan cases involving shootings, prosecutors person to beryllium that nan genitor committed immoderate enactment of “criminal negligence” that led to a death, specified arsenic providing entree to a gun, according to Rosenthal.
However, nan ineligible theories that were utilized mightiness beryllium much difficult to beryllium successful e-motorcycle cases, Rosenthal said. Prosecutors will person to show that parents knew nan consequence of an e-motorcycle erstwhile letting their kid thrust one, and firearms correspond a “far easier-to-grasp threat to quality life”.
“Is it reasonably foreseeable that a child’s going to termination somebody?” Rosenthal said.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
