Star recruit suffered broken back after family hit by driver downtown
The driver of a vehicle that struck four members of a Nickerson, Kansas, family on a Louisville sidewalk last week was in court Thursday, where prosecutors presented evidence of the victim’s severe injuries and the suspect’s actions.
Following the hearing, Jefferson District Judge David Bowles found probable cause for Michael Hurley, 33, to face charges of murder, first-degree assault, fourth-degree assault and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
A grand jury is scheduled to consider whether to indict Hurley the week of Aug. 8. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.
The members of the Jones family were in Louisville for Ava Jones, 17, a standout basketball player, to play in a tournament. Jones had days earlier signed to play for the University of Iowa after graduation next year
They were standing on a sidewalk downtown when hit by the car, which police said ran a light and then jumped the curb.
William "Trey" Jones, 42, a Nickerson High shop teacher and coach, died from his injuries two days after the crash but was kept on life support for several days so he could donate his organs.
Ava and her mother, Amy, 44, an assistant superintendent in Nickerson, remain in critical condition at the U of L Hospital, though family members said Thursday they are improving.
More: Ava Jones and her mother Amy are taken off ventilators as their conditions improve
During Thursday's hearing, a Louisville Metro Police officer testified that Hurley took hydrocodone twice the day of the crash, once early in the morning and again at 5 p.m.
Hurley had no alcohol in his system, but during a field sobriety test, he lost his balance and had trouble turning around.
More: Ava Jones and her mother, Amy Jones, improve slightly. Grandmother says, 'It's baby steps'
Video of the crash was played, but not publicly.
The officer testified the video shows Hurley's vehicle swerving, stopping in the middle of the road, and almost getting rear-ended before eventually hitting the family members.
Hurley ran two red lights before he allegedly struck the family with his vehicle, according to the officer.
The video shows Hurley getting out of his vehicle after the crash, stepping over the family members several times without appearing to check on them and then sitting on the trunk of his vehicle, the officer testified.
He added that Hurley later said during a sobriety test that "it's completely my fault."
The officer testified that Ava Jones suffered a broken back and had surgeries to relieve brain bleeding.
Her mother also suffered traumatic brain injuries and has had several surgeries on a leg that nearly required amputation.
Another family member, Creek Jones, 10, was also struck but received only minor injuries.
More: Photos from candlelight vigil for Jones family Sunday at Nickerson High School
The judge denied the prosecutor's request to raise Hurley's bond from $500,000 to $1 million.
This article originally appeared on The Hutchinson News: Driver accused of hitting basketball recruit and family facing murder
