The Robbinsville teenager charged with fatally hitting schools superintendent Steve Mayer in April pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and careless driving.
The Robbinsville High School student entered the guilty pleas Monday in Mercer County Family Court, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said.
The driver’s name is being withheld by law enforcement because she was a 17-year-old juvenile at the time of the offense.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the teenager will be sentenced to a probationary term of three years. Her driver’s license will also be suspended for two years and she will be required to perform 200 hours of community service. Sentencing is scheduled for January 2017.
On April 19, Mayer was struck while running with his dog on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road shortly after 6 a.m. by the high school student, who was traveling southbound along the road. Mayer’s dog was also killed in the accident.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the high school student was using her cell phone when she hit Mayer, and she knowingly left the scene of an accident. Police said she drove to a nearby school where she then called 911.
Since Mayer’s death, the Robbinsville community has come together to keep his legacy alive. More than a thousand people attended a dedication of the Robbinsville High School field in his honor. The district is also planning to build a new athletic facility, a project that Mayer wanted to implement since his first year as superintendent.
