Update: Homicide charges dropped against Pickerington teacher
Charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and reckless homicide against a Tussing Elementary school teacher have been dropped.
Second grade teacher Angela Luke found herself in legal jeopardy after an apparent weekend domestic dispute resulted in her running over her husband. (He died from his injuries the next day.) Throughout the episode between Angela and Daniel Luke, the couple’s 12 year-old daughter was on the phone with 911 reporting the violent fight between her parents. She said that her father had been drinking and described his physical actions against her mother saying that the man was “pinning her to the ground” and “making marks on my mom.”
As the mother and daughter attempted to speed away from the home, the daughter told 911 dispatchers that her father was holding onto the car. Daniel Luke fell from the vehicle and was run over.
Angela Luke entered not guilty pleas to the charges. She was suspended without pay from her position with Pickerington Local Schools until her court case was resolved.
With public outcry growing over the Luke situation, Fairfield County Prosecutor Gregg Marx said that he would review the case. On Wednesday, the school district reversed course saying that they would pay Luke during her suspension.
Late Wednesday, officials announced that the charges against Angela Luke were dropped…though they still have the standing to refile later.
The school district has announced that Luke’s suspension has been lifted and she can return to work as soon as she is up to it.
On Thursday, Luke’s attorney Jonathan Tyack released a statement. Here’s a portion:
On behalf of Angela Luke, her daughters, and her entire family, we want to thank all of those in the Central Ohio community, and across the nation, who have shown their unwavering support for Angela throughout this most difficult time. Angela was relieved by the decision of the Pickerington School District to reinstate her with full pay and benefits pending the resolution of this matter. Furthermore, Angela was encouraged by the decision of the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s Office to dismiss the charges, albeit without prejudice, pending further investigation of this entire matter. As her defense attorney, I welcome a thorough and thoughtful review of all of the facts in this case, as I am confident that the facts will fully exonerate Angela in the end. I endorse Prosecutor Marx’s efforts to take whatever time is necessary to review all of the circumstances surrounding the events of that terrible night. We are confident that Prosecutor Marx will conclude that no crime was committed here by Angela Luke.
(jj)
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