Tony Stewart escapes charges as grand jury releases findings

Tony Stewart (Getty Images)
Tony Stewart (Getty Images)
Tony Stewart (Getty Images)

A grand jury in Ontario County New York has decided that there will be no charges against NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo, released the grand jury’s recommendation Tuesday afternoon saying the grand jury found “no basis to charge Tony Stewart with any crimes.” The DA elected to present the findings to a grand jury on September 16th after evidence gathered by the Ontario County New York Sheriff’s office into the August 9th accident was handed over. Strewart could have been charged with second-degree manslaughter under New York law if prosecutors believed he “recklessly caused the death of another person” according to legal experts; negligent homicide was another possibility. The DA also said at a news conference that toxicology reports showed that the driver who was killed, Kevin Ward Jr.,, had traces of marijuana in his system in amounts large enough “to impair judgement”.

Stewart was involved in the incident on the dirt track in upstate New York on the Saturday night prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen. On August 9th In the aftermath 20-year-old Ward Jr. was dead. Video showed that Ward had been involved with Stewart on the previous lap. The video showed Ward’s car as it came to rest on the back stretch. Ward exited the vehicle, and still wearing his racing helmet walked toward the line of cars circling under caution. He angrily pointed towards the car driven by Stewart; Stewart’s car struck Ward who was thrown in the air and landed several feet away. Ward was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

That Sunday morning Stewart announced he would not participate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. He later issued a statement expressing his sadness. Late that same afternoon Sheriff Povero held a press conference and said the investigation was not a criminal one. Stewart would miss a total of three races before returning to the circuit at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Aug. 29. He has made no public comments about the incident beyond reading a formal statement that said the incident was the toughest tragedies he has ever dealt with. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.