An Ohio-based youth pastor, Rushon Patterson II, 26, is facing serious charges, including vehicular homicide, following the tragic death of a child from his congregation. The incident occurred when the child was ejected from a church-owned van that Patterson was driving.
The incident took place on September 6, when Patterson, a youth pastor at the Alive Now Church in Canton, Ohio, was driving a van owned by the church. He allegedly permitted several teenagers to ride on the side of the van. According to police reports, most of the teenagers jumped off the van when they saw a pothole in the road. However, one boy did not see the pothole and was thrown from the van when it drove over the pothole, resulting in a fatal head injury.
Further police reports confirmed that the boy was “ejected” from the van upon impact with the pothole, and his subsequent head injury led to his death. The tragic incident has led to Patterson facing one count of vehicular homicide and one count of endangering children.
Patterson appeared in court on Monday, where his bail was set at $1 million cash. The judge stated that the bond would be revisited during a status conference on Wednesday. Currently, Patterson is being held in custody at the Stark County Jail.
Local CBS affiliate WOIO confirmed that the van involved in the incident was owned by the Alive Now Church. The station also verified that Patterson was a youth pastor at the church and that the deceased boy was a member of the church congregation. The Alive Now Church has not provided any further comments on the incident.