PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY, Mich. – A 15-year-old and their parents have been charged in the death of an 87-year-old man who died after being struck by a child on a dirt bike.
It happened at dusk on March 1 in Presque Isle County. A Michigan State Police trooper reportedly watched it happen.
According to authorities, the 87-year-old man with a flash light crossed the road to check his mail when he was hit by a teen on a dirt bike that was speeding down the road without a headlight.
He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died four days later.
The teen was uninjured. The teen was charged with manslaughter with a motor vehicle, reckless driving causing death, moving violation causing death and reckless driving.
“The charges that you initially file are not necessarily the charges that the juvenile will end up with. You never know where the case will end up taking you,” said Prosecutor Zakary McLennan. “Charges might be dismissed, or new charges could potentially be added.”
The parents were charged with allowing a child under 16 to operate an off-road vehicle. It’s illegal for someone under the age of 16 to operate an off-road vehicle without supervision.
“We are going to balance accountability with rehabilitation of the juvenile,” McLennan said. “There’s a lot of information and factors that play into that calculus, and we’re very thoughtfully and carefully considering all the information available to us now, and all the information that is still forthcoming.”
The mother was given a $2,000 bond and the father was given a $3,500 bond. They are expected to return to court April 1.
“This is a tragic situation we’re dealing with,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Ashley Miller. “Not only with the elderly man that has passed, but also with a juvenile that has their whole life ahead of them, and now we have to move forward with this.”
