Tony Stewart Cleared

A grand jury has determined that race car driver Tony Stewart will not face criminal charges in the death of fellow racer Kevin Ward on August 9 in upstate New York.  The investigation showed no criminal intent from Stewart's driving, and the toxicology report revealed that Ward had marijuana in his system at the time of the incident, which could explain why he apparently tried to latch on to the wing of Stewart's car as it whizzed by.  This is just one more example of how young people who get high sometimes use bad judgment and get themselves killed. 

 

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Tony Stewart will not be charged by an Ontario County (N.Y.) Grand Jury in the death of Kevin Ward Jr.

The grand jury determined Wednesday that there was no evidence of a criminal act. The case was passed on to the grand jury by Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo last week.

Tantillo said "two dozen" people were interviewed in the case and revealed that toxicology reports determined that Ward had marijuana in his system.

"There is toxicology evidence in the case related to Kevin Ward, that actually indicated at the time of operation that he was under the influence of marijuana," Tantillo said. "There was no toxicology work performed on Tony Stewart, however a certified drug recognition expert had interviewed him on the night of the collision and determined that he found no basis to observe any alcohol consumption or impairment by drugs."

When asked about Ward's toxicology reports, Tantillo said that the amount in his system was "enough to impair judgment."

Tantillo also said that there was no evidence of "aberrational" driving from Stewart before he hit Ward and that it appeared Stewart was driving in a straight line until he hit Ward. Two videos of the accident were used as evidence in the investigation.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/tony-stewart-not-charged-by-grand-jury-in-death-of-kevin-ward-jr-190047656.html