The Ontario County Sheriff’s office says it has completed its investigation into the death of Kevin Ward Jr. and will announce the results some time late next week.
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Ward was killed last month on a dirt track in upstate New York when he left his sprint car and was struck by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
The official statement from the sheriff reads (via USA Today):
"The Ontario County Office of Sheriff has completed its investigation into the death of Kevin A. Ward, Jr., which occurred August 9, 2014, at the Canandaigua, New York, Motorsports Park. The entire thorough investigation, including a forensic video enhancement recently received from the New York State Police Laboratory in Albany, has been submitted to the Office of the Ontario County District for review. The District Attorney’s Office, which has been meeting throughout the investigative process with members of the Sheriff’s Office, will make a statement late next week advising what action will be taken regarding the investigation."
Video of the accident hit the internet just hours after Ward’s death, but the police have reportedly seen footage that shows angles different from the ones in the clips available to the public.
The Ontario County Sheriff has made it plain in recent weeks that the possibility of Tony Stewart facing criminal charges remains open until such time as the investigation is complete.
If Stewart does not face criminal charges, it remains likely that he will face a civil suit by the family of Kevin Ward. Stewart kept a low profile in the weeks after the accident but has since returned to the NASCAR circuit.