A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from a church van in Canton, and the pastor who was driving has been criminally charged, authorities said.
Malachi I. Nichols-Williams died Sept. 9 at Akron Children’s Hospital from injuries sustained in the fall, according to the Stark County Coroner’s Office.
The Rev. Rushon T. Patterson II, lead pastor of Now Alive Kidz Church, faces charges of vehicular homicide and felony child endangering, both third-degree felonies. He has also been cited for a minor traffic violation involving a pedestrian.
A police crash report says Patterson was driving a 2007 Ford Econoline west on Alan Page Drive SE the night of Sept. 6 when several juveniles were riding on the outside of the van. The report indicates the teens tried to jump off after seeing a pothole in the road. Malachi was unable to do so in time, fell, and struck his head on the pavement.
He was taken first to Aultman Hospital before being transferred to Akron Children’s, where he later died.
