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SMIRHFIELD, N.C. May 1, 2000 — The woman who was driving a minivan that slammed into seven students at Smithfield Middle School will not face criminal charges.
One boy was killed and six were injured when Sara Bell Kennedy, 84, apparently lost control of her vehicle in front of the school on March 22.
Johnston County District Attorney Tom Lock said he believes the evidence does not support a charge of either involuntary manslaughter or misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.
Lock also rejected a possible charge of making an unsafe movement, noting that Kennedy's losing control of the van was "an act of simple and tragic negligence."
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