MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – A man is accused of driving on a closed road in Shelby Township while under the influence of marijuana and fatally hitting a 15-year-old boy, police said.
The driver was on a closed stretch of 25 Mile Road west of Hayes Road, police said. The road was closed due to construction.
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Officials said the 15-year-old boy and his friend were walking west on 25 Mile Road where there shouldn't have been any cars.
"There is no greater tragedy than a family losing a child,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said. "The defendant should have never been driving on that closed road and it speaks volumes to his capability to operate a vehicle after smoking marijuana. It is critical the public grasps the dangers of using marijuana prior to getting behind a wheel of a car. This is the type of devastation it can cause."
The driver is charged with operating under the influence of drugs causing death, a felony with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Officials said the driver's name will be released after his arraignment.
He is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in 41-A District Court in Shelby Township.