Family devastated after driver not indicted in deadly hit-and-run
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Harris County grand jury this week did not find enough evidence to indict the alleged driver of the vehicle that hit and killed a teenager in November 2016.
Ethan Jones, 19, was walking to a gas station to get access to WiFi on Nov. 13 when he was hit and killed on FM 2920.
His father, Steven, said he was just trying to talk to his girlfriend.
"His phone wasn't working so he walked up to the gas station to get WiFi to talk to her and he never made it back," Jones said. "Some coward ran him over."
Harris County investigators said whoever hit Ethan did not stop to help. Evidence at the scene suggested the car involved is a Cadillac Escalade.
"The way I understand, after they ran over my son, they hid their car for a few months, waited until hopefully the heat was off, I guess, and took it very far away to get it fixed," Jones said. "And I guess somebody there was underneath it, getting ready to fix it, found blood under the car and then they called the sheriff."
Investigators identified a suspect and the case was presented before a Harris County grand jury. On Tuesday, the grand jury chose not to indict the alleged driver of the vehicle.
"It's hard, it's very hard," Jones said. "Somebody has to pay for this. It can't be over right here, they have to pay."
By law, evidence presented or not presented to grand juries are secret. A family can request the case be presented to a new grand jury only if new evidence is uncovered.
Jones wants the person who hit his son to know this: "I just hope that for the rest of your days, you gave me, and Ethan, and my daughter, Cheyenne, a life sentence of misery and complete sadness. And you'll live with that," Jones said. "And I hope it hurts."
Jones has hired an attorney and plans on pursuing his case further in civil court.
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