Tony Stewart: No criminal charges will be filed against Stewart for death of Kevin Ward Jr.
By Jack Crosby
It has been a very rough 24 hours for those in the auto racing world as one of the more tragic events in the sport’s history took place on Saturday night when NASCAR driver Tony Stewart struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. on a dirt track in New York following an incident during the race. However, it seems as if Stewart will not be in any sort of legal hot water.
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After investigating the incident the past few hours, the gruesome video that was released to the public, Ontario County Sheriff Phillip C. Povero announced on Sunday afternoon that no criminal charges will be filed against Stewart for the incident, at this time.
“At this moment there are no facts or evidence that would support a criminal charge or criminal intent.” Povero stated.
Saturday night at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park, Stewart had run Ward’s car into the wall, knocking him out of the race. From there, angered by what took place, Ward got out of his car and entered the track, waiting for Stewart to make his lap around so he could give him a piece of his mind.
Well unfortunately, he came too close to Stewart’s car, which launched him an estimated 50 feet across the track. Ward was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Now it should be noted that the Sheriff said that Stewart will not be charged with anything for now. The investigation may extend further beyond just the past few hours.