OHIO — An Ohio youth pastor initially found guilty in the death of a 14-year-old boy after allowing him to ride on the outside of a moving church van will now face only a $150 traffic fine following a legal issue discovered in the case.
The case centers around the death of Malachi Nichols-Williams, a teenager who suffered a fatal head injury in September 2025 after falling from the side of a van driven by Rushon Patterson II, 27, a volunteer youth pastor with Alive Now Kidz Church in Canton Township.
According to court proceedings, several teenagers had been riding on the outside of the church van while it moved through a neighborhood street. Witnesses said the teens noticed a pothole ahead and most jumped off before the van reached it. Malachi reportedly remained on the vehicle.
When the van hit the pothole, the teen was thrown onto the roadway and struck his head on the pavement. Although he briefly stood up after the fall, authorities said he suffered a severe brain injury and skull fracture. He later lost consciousness and was placed on life support before dying days later.
Patterson was originally charged with reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and riding on the outside of a vehicle. Earlier this year, he was acquitted of reckless homicide but convicted of involuntary manslaughter and the traffic-related misdemeanor offense.
However, during post-conviction proceedings, Patterson’s defense team identified what the court described as a defect in the indictment. The legal issue centered on Ohio law not allowing an involuntary manslaughter charge to be directly tied to a minor misdemeanor traffic violation.
Because of that technicality, the involuntary manslaughter conviction was dismissed, leaving only the misdemeanor traffic offense tied to allowing someone to ride on the outside of the vehicle.
During the hearing, prosecutors acknowledged the error. Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Dan Petricini reportedly accepted responsibility for the indictment mistake and expressed frustration over the outcome, saying the reduced conviction did not reflect the seriousness of what happened.
The judge overseeing the case reportedly noted there may have been evidence supporting a vehicular manslaughter charge, but the charges could not be changed after the conviction had already been reached.
As a result, Patterson’s final penalty was a $150 fine connected to the traffic violation.
The case has sparked emotional reactions in the community, with many focusing on the tragic loss of the teenager and the legal loophole that dramatically reduced the punishment after the original conviction.
