A jury convicted a teenager on two misdemeanor charges in connection with a fiery, fatal crash in Chevy Chase, Md.
Reeco Richardson, 18, was convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and rogue and vagabond. The jury was hung on charges of theft and motor vehicle theft.
Richardson was a passenger in a Toyota Echo that was pursued by police in the early morning hours of March 23. The car hit a tree and burst into flames after it slowed down to negotiate Chevy Chase Circle near the border separating Montgomery County and the District of Columbia, police said. The driver, 16-year-old Reynard Osman, died five days after the crash. Emanuel Nelson, also 16, and Kyree Nelson, 14, died at the scene.
In court, prosecutor Steve Chaikin noted that officers risked their own safety to pull Richardson from the burning wreck, News4’s Jackie Bensen reported.
The officer who began the pursuit testified that his cruiser did not hit the Echo nor did he see another cruiser hit the Echo. That will be an issue in a civil suit Richardson’s family filed against the county.
Richardson’s attorney noted that he was charged a month after the crash – after the civil suit began.
The Echo had been reported stolen earlier in March by a Silver Spring woman.
Sentencing was set for Dec. 12. The charges carry maximum sentences of four and three years.
