Niles man pleads no contest in fatal accident
Published 9:04 am Friday, July 15, 2016
A Niles man could spend up to a year in jail after pleading no contest Thursday to a pair of misdemeanor charges stemming from his involvement in a crash that killed an Edwardsburg teenager in May.
Jeffrey Robert Jackson, 25, submitted pleas of no contest to one count of a moving violation causing death and one count of moving violation causing serious injury. The case was in front of Cass County District Court Judge Stacey Rentfrow in Cassopolis. Jackson is scheduled for sentencing for the crimes — which carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail and/or $2,000 fine — at 9:15 a.m. Thursday, July 28.
The crash, which claimed the life of 16-year-old Makayla McKenzie, occurred around noon on May 3 while Jackson was traveling eastbound in a Ford 150 pickup truck on Pine Lake Street in Jefferson Township. While reaching down to grab a drink inside his vehicle, he ignored a stop sign located at the intersection of Pine Lake and Dailey Road and crashed into a 2001 Hyundai driven by McKenzie, who was traveling with two other girls to attend classes at Southwestern Michigan College.
According to a study of the wreckage, Jackson was traveling around 61 mph at the time of the crash, well in excess of the 55 mph speed limit for the roadway.
In addition to killing McKenzie, her two passengers, 17-year-old Hanna Philpot and 16-year-old, Camryn Raab suffered injuries from the crash, with the damage done to the former resulting in the moving violation causing serious injury charge against Jackson.
“This was a tragedy no matter how you look at it,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz immediately following Jackson’s plea Thursday. “A family has lost a loved one during the prime of her life. The other occupants of the vehicle suffered injury in a life-changing episode. This is a grim reminder of how important it is to always be aware of your surroundings behind the wheel and of the serious responsibility of driving a vehicle.”
While the prosecutor initially considered bringing another charge of moving violation causing serious injury against Jackson for the injuries he caused to Raab, Fitz said that in light of the facts of the case and the defendant’s plea they will not bring any additional counts against him.
His office will speak with McKenzie’s family and law enforcement officials over the next few weeks in order to determine which sentence they recommend Rentfrow give to Jackson later this month, Fitz said.