An Ohio youth pastor who was found responsible for the death of a teenager he let ride on the side of his van will only have to pay a small fine.
Rushon Patterson II, 27, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor count of riding on the outside of a vehicle in April, but due to a legal technicality, his most serious charge was dismissed. According to courtroom reporting by local news outlet The Repository, Patterson’s defense attorney appealed the conviction after finding “there was a defect in the indictment that prior counsel had missed, and apparently the state had missed, too.”
The Repository reported that “state law does not allow involuntary manslaughter to be tied to a minor misdemeanor traffic violation.” As a result, the judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter conviction, leaving only a penalty for the traffic violation — a $150 fine…