(CBS-DETROIT) — The mother of a Grosse Pointe teen charged with manslaughter in a fatal accident that left another teenager dead will not be charged, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday.
Kiernan Tague, who was 16 at the time of the crash, was charged in March with first-degree murder for the Nov. 13, 2023 crash that killed this 18-year-old friend, Flynn Mackrell. Police say Tague was driving more than 100 miles per hour on a residential street in Grosse Pointe Farms, where the speed limit was 25 miles per hour, when he lost control and struck a utility pole and tree.
In July, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office received a letter from Mackrell’s mother requesting that Tague’s mother be charged, alleging negligence regarding her son’s driving. At that time, Mackrell’s parents compared the case to Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, who became the first parents in the U.S. held responsible for their child’s actions during a school shooting.
In August, police released a new video shows the teenager behind the wheel, driving at almost 220 kilometers per hour. CBS News Detroit obtained the shocking video along with a detailed report showing that police responded to multiple calls about the teen’s alleged violence and speeding. Police records show that Tague’s mother was concerned about her son’s driving.
Prosecutors obtained a warrant in August, reviewed the files and were presented with evidence from 2018 to 2023.
In its decision to deny the injunction request, the prosecutor’s office said the teen’s mother “has consistently taken reasonable steps over the years to assert parental control over her son as it relates to his general behavior and his driving behavior in the run-up to the fatal car accident. “
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued the following statement regarding her decision:
“We have spent a significant amount of time discussing this matter and have looked at all applicable laws. We reviewed police reports and other documents. We are confident that the facts and evidence will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the juvenile defendant committed a crime. the transgressions we have committed.
“Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances. Most parents do everything they can to guide their children and steer them in the right direction. The young respondent’s mother was no different. She took consistent, active steps to ensure that he continued There will be those who say she should have done more, but we looked at all the facts and those facts do not dictate criminal charges here. We won’t be more specific about her actions because her son will face trial in February.
“She was in no way directly or indirectly involved in the crimes for which we have charged her son. Despite his mother’s efforts, it is our firm position that respondent and respondent alone is directly responsible for the adult crimes we identified and accused him of.”
Tague is not charged as an adult, but has been classified as an adult. This means that if he is convicted, a judge can sentence him as a juvenile or as an adult or as a mixed sentence, with the possibility of imposing an adult sentence if Tague is not rehabilitated.
Tague has a plea conference on January 8 and will appear in court on February 3.
