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Teen driver is charged in death of cheerleader

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 9, 2006

HAVANA, Fla. - A 15-year-old cheerleader was run down by a stolen car in the school's parking lot after the homecoming game Friday, authorities said.

Crystal Riley, 15, a freshman on the East Gadsden High School cheerleading squad, died after she was hit by a car about midnight. Her mother, Cynthia Riley, also was hit, but her injuries were not life threatening, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The 16-year-old suspected of driving the car was arrested on vehicular homicide and auto theft charges about five hours after the crash. His name was not immediately available Sunday. A 17-year-old passenger had not been charged Sunday.

According to the Highway Patrol, an assistant principal tried to flag down a car that was driving erratically at the school, about 16 miles north of Tallahassee. The driver sped away, but got stuck in traffic.

The driver then sped backward, colliding with several cars before hitting Riley and her mother, the FHP said.

The car, which was later found to be stolen, crashed a few miles from the school. Gadsden County sheriff's deputies tracked the suspects to a home in Gretna.

"In my 10 years of law enforcement, it's one of the worst things I've dealt with," Gadsden County sheriff's spokesman Ulysses Jenkins said.

Cheerleaders said petite Crystal Riley was "the baby of the squad."

"At practice she would always make jokes and dance a lot and make people laugh," said cheerleader Briana Rollinson, 15. "I'm going to miss her, and I regret never telling her how much I loved her."

[Last modified October 8, 2006, 23:38:18]