Driver behind the wheel of truck that hit 11-year-old at Raleigh Christmas Parade appears in court
The driver behind the wheel of a pickup truck that hit and killed 11-year-old Hailey Brooks at the Raleigh Christmas Parade in November made his first court appearance on Thursday.
Landen Glass, 20, of Goode, Virginia, returned to Wake County to face misdemeanor charges of death by motor vehicle, reckless driving to endanger and carrying a firearm at a parade. He also faces infractions of failure to reduce speed and improper brakes.
Glass was driving a pickup truck on Nov. 19, which lost control before hitting Brooks. Warrants show improper brakes caused the incident.
Glass was in court for less than five minutes on Thursday, dressed in black and appearing before a judge with his attorney Roger Smith, where the charges were read.
"No charge will makeup for the profound loss this family has suffered," said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
Glass' next court date will be March 29 at 2 p.m.
Last year after the crash, Freeman explained the misdemeanor death by a motor vehicle charge, which carries a punishment of 150 days in custody if convicted.
“[What] it requires is the person intent to have committed an underlying traffic offense that leads to [the] death of someone else,” Freeman said.
Glass could also lose his license for one year and face a fine. He has no prior criminal record.
Freeman said the carrying a firearm at a parade charge and the reckless driving to endanger charge each carry punishments of up to 120 days if convicted. The sentences would run concurrently, Freeman said.
"Your cannot bring a firearm to a parade, period," Freeman said.
According to Freeman, the infractions of failure to reduce speed and improper brakes do not carry jail time.
Freeman said there was no evidence Glass was impaired. She said the $4,000 bond amount that Glass posted is standard for someone with no prior record and with the charges he faces.
Virginia court records show Glass had a number of non-moving violation tickets on his record, including four tickets for failure to have a vehicle inspected, with the most recent on October 30.
Brooks, a dancer, was the oldest of three siblings.
