By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE legend Jim Ross spoke with KOCO-TV in Oklahoma on Thursday after a judge dismissed the charges against the 17 year-old driver of the car that struck and killed Jan Ross in March, 2017. Ross told the station that he was too upset to discuss the matter on the air, but he issued the following statement:
“The system has failed us. Heartbreaking matters such as this make me wonder what our youth are being taught. It’s time we need to pay attention. Sad. Embarrassing. Makes it hard to continue loving my beloved Oklahoma.”
Powell’s POV: Check out the piece that aired at KOCO.com. The station contacted Norman, Oklahoma judge Steven Stice, who told them that he could not comment on the matter because it was a juvenile case. Jan was struck from behind while driving her Vespa scooter on March 21, 2017. She died in the hospital two days later. It’s a shame that Stice can’t comment on the matter because people deserve to know the logic behind his seemingly lenient ruling. Ross noted on Thursday that the driver never even lost his driver’s license.
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My heart goes out to Ross, but sadly people (such as Powell) don’t know the details of the case, nor do they understand WHY the exact charge was dropped. Ignorance isn’t anything that stops people from forming an opinion, though.
The words “seemingly lenient ruling” were used for a reason. Implies that it seems lenient to me, but I didn’t make a firm declaration because we don’t know his reasoning and, sadly, probably never will.