×

Charges filed in teen death case

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A man has been charged with manslaughter and other crimes, more than two years after two teens were struck and killed by a car in Flint in a case that “kind of fell between the cracks,” a prosecutor said.

Jerry Turnbow, 27, of Grand Rapids appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered to jail on a $500,000 bond.

Ashyrinta Clemons and Tatiana Brown, both 13, were killed in August 2017 while crossing a Flint street. Police described it as a hit-and-run. Turnbow turned himself in after the crash but was eventually released, The Flint Journal reported.

Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said his office first rejected charges because police didn’t have enough evidence to show Turnbow was the driver. The investigation lost steam when a Flint officer assigned to the case quit in 2018 due to his own crimes.

Leyton said he was told about the case by Sheldon Neeley before Neeley was recently elected mayor.

“The case kind of fell between the cracks at the time. … When somebody did pick it up they weren’t as aggressive in investigating it as I would have liked,” Leyton said of police.

No defense attorney is listed yet for Turnbow in the court file.

“It’s our job now to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt so we’ve got a long way to go,” Leyton said.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today