Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo has convened a grand jury to determine whether charges should be brought against NASCAR driver Tony Stewart for his role in an on-track incident that caused the death of driver Kevin Ward Jr. Grand jury testimony began Tuesday in the case. Tantillo said on Sept. 16 that he would present evidence from the police investigation to a grand jury. Chuck Hebing, who was driving in the Aug. 9 race when Ward was killed at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, confirmed that he was called to testify about the accident but declined to discuss the matter further. Ward, 20, died after he was struck by the car of Tony Stewart during a Sprint car race. The incident took place moments after Stewart, a three-time NASCAR season-series champion, bumped Ward’s car and forced it to crash into the corner wall on Turn 2. It is not known how long it will take for the evidence to be presented to the grand jury, or for witnesses to provide testimony.(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
UPDATE: Tony Stewart grand jury decision will supposedly be announced today (Sept 24) at 3:00pm/et.(Jayski Twitter)
UPDATE2: Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo will hold a press conference at 3:00pm/et today to reveal the findings of a grand jury investigation into whether charges should be brought against NASCAR driver Tony Stewart for his role in the on-track death of driver Kevin Ward Jr. In a press release, Tantillo said the grand jury’s determination would be made public this afternoon.(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
The press conference will be aired lived at whec.com and also on ESPN and FoxSports1 live at 3:00pm/et.
UPDATE3: Tony Stewart will NOT face criminal charges in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. ‘¦ who was struck and killed by Stewart during a race last month ‘¦ TMZ Sports has learned. TMZ learned ‘¦ that a grand jury just decided not to charge Stewart.(TMZ)
UPDATE4: A grand jury has decided Tony Stewart will not face charges for his role in the on-track death of sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. Prosecutors in upstate New York made the announcement Wednesday, just hours after the grand jury finished hearing testimony in the case. Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo also said Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of his death, according to toxicology reports. Tantillo looked at the evidence and could have brought charges or dropped the case himself, but said last week that the matter would be decided by the grand jury. Stewart could have been charged with second-degree manslaughter under New York law, experts said, if prosecutors believed he ‘recklessly caused the death of another person.’ Negligent homicide also was another possibility.(ESPN)
AND ‘This week an Ontario County grand jury has been meeting to hear testimony and review evidence gathered in the Tony Stewart matter, relating to the death of Kevin Ward at the Canandaigua Motor Speedway on August 9, 2014. The grand jury has completed its investigation. During the course of the grand jury presentation, approximately two dozen witnesses testified. These included a number of race car drivers, racetrack employees and volunteers, two accident reconstruction experts, medical personnel, and a number of police officers. In addition, the grand jury reviewed a number of photographs and video recordings, as well as other documentary evidence. After listening to and questioning all of the witnesses, and reviewing all of the evidence, the grand jury has determined that there is no basis to charge Tony Stewart with any crimes; his case was ‘No-Billed’ by the grand jury.’ Michael Tantillo, Ontario County District Attorney (Ontario County website)
Stewart Statement: Following a thorough investigation and presentation of all the relevant evidence and witnesses to an Ontario County (N.Y.) grand jury, the grand jury has determined there is no basis for the filing of any criminal charges involving the tragic accident of Kevin Ward Jr. on Aug. 9 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park. The following is a statement from Tony Stewart regarding the grand jury’s decision.
‘This has been the toughest and most emotional experience of my life, and it will stay with me forever. I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve received and continue to receive. I respect everything the District Attorney and Sheriff’s Office did to thoroughly investigate this tragic accident. While the process was long and emotionally difficult, it allowed for all the facts of the accident to be identified and known. While much of the attention has been on me, it’s important to remember a young man lost his life. Kevin Ward Jr.’s family and friends will always be in my thoughts and prayers.’(SHR Facebook)
NASCAR Statement from Brett Jewkes, NASCAR Chief Communications Officer, Regarding Ontario (N.Y.) County District Attorney Announcement: ‘There are no winners in tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Kevin Ward Jr. family and Tony Stewart as they all cope with this tragic incident at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. This has been a difficult time for everyone involved and we have respected the local authorities responsible for reviewing this case.’(NASCAR)
Ward’s family statement to ESPN on Wednesday, said: ‘Our son got out of his car during caution, while the race was suspended. All other vehicles were reducing speed and not accelerating except for Tony Stewart, who intentionally tried to intimidate Kevin by accelerating and sliding his car towards him, causing this tragedy. The focus should be on the actions of Tony Stewart and not Kevin. The matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies, in fairness to Kevin.’(ESPN)(9-24-2014)
