A Guyton man has pleaded guilty to serious injury by vehicle and been sentenced to five years in prison for running over a 14-year-old South Effingham High School student who was walking to the bus.
Jonathan Chase Skaggs, 31, entered an Alford plea Wednesday in Effingham County Superior Court. Under an Alford plea, a defendant who believes there’s enough evidence for conviction can plead guilty while still maintaining his innocence.
Charges of second-degree cruelty to children and reckless driving will not be prosecuted. Skaggs faced up to 26 years in prison for the charges, according to court documents.
Superior Court Judge F. Gates Peed issued the sentence.
Skaggs must report to the Effingham County jail June 5.
Skaggs drove a 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier from the right side of Glenwood Drive to the left side of the road on May 16, 2013, striking Dylan Cain as he walked to his bus stop, authorities said.
An indictment said Skaggs caused "organic brain damage which rendered his (the boy's) body useless.”