New Trier High School senior Erin Hughes was ordered held on a $500,000 bond after she admitted to police that she had smoked marijuana the night before a hitting and seriously injuring teenager Sarah Goone the next afternoon, the Chicago Tribune reported. However, it's not clear whether or not she was actually under the influence when the incident occurred.
What's clear is she stands accused of committing a hit and run. Formally, she has been charged with failure to report an accident involving personal injury, failure to give information or render aid and failure to exercise due care. The victim remains in critical condition after undergoing emergency brain surgery.
Erin Hughes was turning left while looking to the right, hoping to catch a glimpse of a friend she was meeting, when she said she heard screams and a thudding sound. She saw Sarah Goone lying on the pavement after looking in her rear view mirror but fled the scene.
Her Illinois criminal defense attorney, Jack Levin, accompanied the teenage defendant as Judge Marcia Orr explained the charges against her. Jack Levin did not dispute eyewitness reports that his client knew she hit another person and fled the scene, but he did ask for a much lower bond amount because her parents couldn't afford the $50,000 bail (10 percent of the bond) required to spring their daughter.
Prosecutors acknowledged in court that Erin Hughes, 18, knew she shouldn't have fled the scene "but panicked and wanted to go home." She is an honor student and has no prior criminal charges. Judge Marcia Orr said she wants to see the toxicology results before making any changes to Erin Hughes' bond or custody status.
Still, Jack Levin was surprised by the $500,000 bond amount and said jail is a tough environment for young girls:
"I understand the gravity of the situation, and I understand the judge's concern, but I was not expecting anything near that when I expressed the fact that the family's resources are very minimal."
The toxicology results are expected to be completed by tomorrow.
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