Teen charged in wreck that killed MRA teacher out on bond

Ethan Vansice, the 19-year-old indicted on a manslaughter charge in the death of a Madison-Ridgeland Academy teacher, is out on bond after turning himself in Monday at the Hinds County Sheriff's Department.

Bond for Vansice already had been set last week at $100,000.

"He came in shortly before 10 a.m," Lt. Jeffery Scott, spokesman for the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, said.

On Sept. 28, a Hinds County grand jury indicted Vansice in the Aug. 17 death of Leigh Anne Ward, 35, of Jackson.

The indictment states, "Ethan Vansice ... did unlawfully and feloniously, without authority of law, kill and slay Leigh A. Ward, a human being, by culpable negligence in the operation of an automobile."

On Monday, a woman who answered the phone at Vansice's north Jackson home and identified herself as his grandmother said she had "no comment."

Vansice is expected to be arraigned on Friday, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

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Teen involved in fatal wreck not charged with crime

Memorial services were held Saturday for a teacher killed in a head-on collision. The wreck occurred Tuesday afternoon on River Thames Road off Old Canton Road in Jackson.

Leigh Anne Ward taught computer classes to elementary students at Madison-Ridgeland Academy for 12 years. Funeral services were held Saturday morning at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison.

Police believe the 19 year old driver of a silver truck crossed the center line and crashed into Ward. Both vehicles landed on their side in a homeowner's front yard.

Jackson Police Officer Colendula Green said the driver has not been charged with a crime. The 19 year old's identity has not been released.

WLBT