Lower Pottsgrove Teen Accused of Fatally Hitting Woman With Car Waits For Trial

Lower Pottsgrove teen Justin Matthew Jackson, who is charged with fatally hitting a jogger on a Limerick road in March while he allegedly had marijuana in his body and was texting, attended his July 29 pretrial conference at the Montgomery County Courthouse, where the judge relisted his case for trial, according to the Phoenix Reporter & Item.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill relisted the case after consulting with Assistant District Attorney Jason Whalley and Jackson’s defense attorney Martin P. Mullaney 

“There are still some discovery issues that we’re trying to resolve.  It’s a complicated case.  It’s a serious case.  We’re exchanging some discovery and once we have that exchange I think we’ll be in a better position to assess where we’re going to go from there,” Mullaney said outside of court.

Jackson, 18 years old, from the 3600 block of Walnut Ridge Estate, had earlier pleaded ‘not guilty’ to his charges of homicide by vehicle, DUI, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person, unsworn falsification to authorities, possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and prohibiting text-based communication in regard to the car crash due to which jogger Merinda R. Thomson of Royersford died on the afternoon of March 4.

It is thought that Jackson may be the first to be prosecuted under Pennsylvania’s new law that bans drivers from texting while their vehicle is moving.  

According to court documents, Jackson’s new pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 8 in the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown.