Plea deal in hit-and-run has victim’s family upset

WASATCH COUNTY – The mother of a 16 year-old boy who was seriously injured after a hit-and-run accident involving a UTV says the justice system is letting her family down.

The accused driver, Zackery Larson, made a plea deal to a lesser crime.  Larson was originally charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, but that was dropped to a misdemeanor.  The other charge of having an open container was dropped completely.  The victim’s mother, Jill Johnson, says, “There’s nothing I can do about it.  I can’t stop them from offering the deal.  All I can do now is hope that the judge would give him the maximum sentence of 12 months in jail.”

Larson could also be ordered to pay restitution, but, Johnson says, “The $3,000 in restitution is nothing compared to what this has caused us.”

Johnson’s son, Cordell, was reportedly left in a ditch for an hour after the crash. Police caught up with Larson roughly eight hours after it happened, which is too late to check for DUI.  Larson is set to be sentenced in late July.

Although she’s upset with the deal, she praised friends and community members for the outpouring of support that has come her way.  She says, “We couldn’t have gotten through this without it because it’s been crushing to try and go through this.  So stressful.  So horrifying.”