From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

You bet your ass they should.

Did Tommi Jo Mejer allow her 14-year-old son to wield a odeadly weapono
u an e-motorcycle u before he allegedly struck and killed a substitute
teacher in Lake Forest?

Mejer, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case,
is not the first parent in Orange County or elsewhere to be accused of a
crime for what prosecutors say were their childrenAs reckless actions.
They also say sheAd previously been warned of the dangers of letting him
ride the e-motorcycle.

Taking the parents into criminal court in such cases appears to be a
growing trend.

In Contra Costa County, a couple was charged with misdemeanor child
abuse after their 17-year-old son was severely injured in a crash in
Walnut Creek involving an e-motorcycle. Prosecutors alleged the parents
allowed him to ride illegally for years despite repeated citations and
warnings from law enforcement.

In Yorba Linda, a father was charged with felony child endangerment and
abuse and a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a
minor for allegedly gifting his son an e-motorcycle and then working
with the boy to modify it to reach speeds up to 60 mph. The boy ran a
red light and was hit by a car in July 2025.

In Westminster, a 51-year-old man is facing misdemeanor child abuse and delinquency charges after allegedly being warned his sons were riding illegally.

See also: OC mom aanguishedA after 14-year-old son on e-motorcycle
allegedly killed veteran

oNow that California has new laws on the books to address public safety offenses related to e-bikes and e-motos,o Contra Costa County District
Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement, oparents must understand the
dangers these vehicles can pose to children if operated unlawfully and
without proper driver education.o

In December 2025, the Riverside County District AttorneyAs Office issued
a public warning that parents could face criminal liability in cases
involving minors and reckless e-bike use.

oUnder California Penal Code 273a(a), a parent can be held criminally
liable for child endangerment if they provide a minor with an
inappropriate e-bike, fail to properly educate them on safe operation,
and do not ensure they use required safety equipment u actions that
place the child or others at risk of death or great bodily injury,o the
DAAs warning said.

Shortly after school let out on April 16, 81-year-old Vietnam veteran
and substitute teacher Ed Ashman was struck and left critically injured
on a Lake Forest street.

The boy fled the scene, authorities said. He was later apprehended, and
less than a week later, the boyAs mother was in handcuffs and facing
felony charges in connection with the collision.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has said targeting parents
is one of the few available ways to address what he describes as a rise
in dangerous incidents involving young riders.

oThis mother essentially handed her 14-year-old son a deadly weapon,o
Spitzer said, announcing the charges, oand despite multiple warnings of
the dangers, continued to let him illegally ride an E-Motorcycle until
he finally killed someone.o

Mejer, 50, of Aliso Viejo was initially arrested on suspicion of felony
child abuse and accessory after the fact, in addition to a slew of
misdemeanor charges. After Ashman died from his injuries on April 30,
Mejer was charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter.

aEgregiousA case

Loyola Law School professor Laurie L. Levenson said cases like that are
rare and typically reserved for the most serious circumstances.

oItAs really important to look at it case by case and only seek charges
in the most egregious cases,o Levenson said.

She said the threshold goes beyond what might be considered poor
parenting and instead centers on whether a parent was aware of a
specific risk and failed to act u particularly when that inaction leads
to serious harm.

Levenson said the Lake Forest case appears egregious based on
prosecutorsA allegations that the mother had previously been warned
about her sonAs dangerous riding behavior and later told deputies that
neither she nor her son owned or had access to the e-motorcycle involved
in the crash.

See also: Amazon stops its sales of high-speed e-bikes in California

It was the third criminal case filed in Orange County since January
involving parents charged in connection with their childrenAs illegal
use of e-bikes or e-motorcycles.

Last month, charges were filed against a Yorba Linda father after his 12-year-old son was seriously injured in a crash while riding a modified e-motorcycle capable of high speeds. The boy suffered a concussion,
skull fracture, broken wrist and fractured femur, among other injuries, prosecutors said.

The father was accused of felony child endangerment and abuse as well as
a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and
could face up to six years in prison if convicted.

In Westminster, another father was charged with misdemeanor child abuse
and delinquency after allegedly being warned that his sons were riding illegally, court records show. No injuries were reported in that case,
and the father pleaded not guilty.

Shirin Bakhshay, an assistant professor at the UCLA School of Law, said prosecutions targeting parents in connection with their childrenAs
actions are fairly new and appear to reflect frustration among
authorities who believe current laws and public education efforts have
not been effective in stopping dangerous behavior involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles.

oCharging parents is relatively new,o Bakhshay said. oOur last resort is
to criminalize parents.o

Bakhshay noted that parents have long faced charges such as contributing
to the delinquency of a minor, but said the Mejer case in Orange County
case goes further.

oSo sheAs not being charged with being a negligent parent,o Bakhshay
said of the Mejer case. oSheAs being charged with a substantive crime.o

Bakhshay said prosecutors will ultimately have to prove not just that
the mother acted negligently, but that her actions were directly
connected to AshmanAs death u a significantly higher legal hurdle than
proving the other charges filed in the case.

She also questioned the legal consistency of charging both the juvenile
and the parent.

oI think when youAre charging the kid independently, youAre saying this
person is responsible for their conduct,o Bakhshay said. oAnd so, I
think itAs pretty inconsistent to then say, also, the mom is
responsible.o

Whatever charges the 14-year-old may face have not been announced
because he is a minor.

Safety concerns grow

A 13-year-old boy riding an off-highway e-motorcycle at an estimated 35
mph died Thursday in Garden Grove after crashing into a center median
and being thrown from the vehicle, authorities said, underscoring
ongoing concerns about the popularity of high-powered electric
motorcycles among young riders.

Police say e-bikes and e-motorcycles are often mistaken for one another,
but speed capabilities can vary greatly between the two types.

See also: e-bike or e-moto? HereAs how to tell the difference

Off-road electric motorcycles, which are equipped with pegs instead of
pedals, are not legal to ride on public streets in California.

In contrast, some e-bikes, specifically Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes that
are pedal-assisted, can be ridden by children under 16 years old with a
helmet and have a maximum speed of 20 mph, according to state law.

Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach 28 mph, are limited to riders ages 16
and older, with those under 18 years old required to wear a helmet.

As concerns over e-bike and e-motorcycle safety increase, lawmakers have
also pushed for stricter regulations and clearer accountability.

Earlier this year, Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine, introduced federal
legislation aimed at establishing comprehensive standards and labeling requirements for e-bikes and e-motorcycles.

Min said improving safety will likely require both regulation and
criminal enforcement in some situations.

oI believe we need to take a holistic approach to improving e-bike
safety, which includes prosecution, when warranted, as well as
regulation to ensure there are consumer product safety standards in
place,o Min said.

Several new laws also took effect statewide Jan. 1, including a ban on speed-modifying devices, restrictions on the sale of certain high-speed
e-bikes to riders under 16, and provisions making it easier for law
enforcement to seize illegally modified bikes.

aWeAll see moreA

Bakhshay pointed to the high-profile Michigan prosecution of Jennifer
Crumbley and James Crumbley, parents of convicted school shooter Ethan Crumbley, as a major turning point in holding parents criminally
accountable u though she noted the circumstances differed significantly
from the Orange County case.

In Michigan, Ethan Crumbley was charged and sentenced as an adult before prosecutors pursued involuntary manslaughter charges against his
parents. The Crumbleys were sentenced in 2024 after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter, becoming the first parents in the United
States to be held criminally responsible in a mass school shooting.

Bakhshay also pointed to the prosecution of Colin Gray, the Georgia
father convicted in connection with a school shooting carried out by his
son.

oIn two years, two high-profile cases like that might not seem like an
alarming trend, but these are the first of their sort,o Bakhshay said.
oI do suspect weAll see more.o

https://www.ocregister.com/2026/05/12/should-parents-face-criminal-charge s-for-childrens-e-motorcycle-collisions/

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