Solicitor: Try him as juvenile with reckless homicide



Staff Writer



EASLEY - Police have charged the 16-year-old driver with reckless homicide in connection with the death of Vincent Dominic Straquadine Feb.8.



Straquadine was a passenger in a 1996 Grand Am that left the pavement in a curve on Old Stagecoach Road, reports said.



Authorities said the vehicle struck several trees on its way down a slight embankment before coming to rest on its roof.



Straquadine died at the scene. He was a cousin to Austin Green who died weeks earlier from injuries sustained in a church bus wreck in Liberty.



The 16-year-old male driver of the Grand Am was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released, officials said.



After conferring with the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office, Easley Police charged the driver Sunday as a juvenile with reckless homicide, said Maj. Tim Tollison.



Reportedly, the Easley teen driver had only a permit, not a license. He has been released into the custody of his parents, Tollison said.



Neither he nor Straquadine were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, officials said.



While speed remains a concern in the investigation, Tollison said the EPD has not yet received a report from the state Highway Patrol's reconstruction team.



"They're still finalizing the report," Tollison said.



Reach Ginny Johnson at 855-0355 or gjohnson@theeasleyprogress.com.