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NEWPORT BEACH (CNS) - Arraignment was postponed Tuesday for an Aliso Viejo mother who is facing involuntary manslaughter and other charges for allegedly permitting her 14-year-old son to ride an e-motorcycle that fatally struck an 81-year-old man in April.
Prosecutors contend that Tommi Jo Mejer, 51, allowed her son to use the motorized cycle despite being warned of its dangers.
Mejer is also charged with child endangerment and being an accessory after the fact to a crime, along with misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer. She also faces an infraction for permitting an unlicensed minor under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle.
She is now scheduled to be arraigned June 30 in Newport Beach.
Mejer's attorneys Paul Meyer and Lolita Kirk issued this statement:
"Tommi Mejer is anguished over the terrible accident. She sends her deepest condolences and sorrow over this tragedy. This has been devastating for everyone. It is premature to make any other statement."
Mejer's son was riding an e-motorcycle that crashed into 81-year-old Ed Ashman at about 4 p.m. April 16 near Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Ashman -- a substitute teacher and Vietnam veteran -- was originally hospitalized in critical condition, but he died April 30, prompting prosecutors to file an amended criminal complaint against Mejer, charging her with involuntary manslaughter, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors alleged the teen who struck Ashman was doing wheelies with the Surron e-motorcycle before the collision and then fled the scene.
Mejer faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors have charged three parents since January for letting their kids illegally ride e-motorcycles, which are faster because they have more powerful engines than e-bikes. Riders must be 16 and obtain a license to use a Class 3 e-motorcycle.
Mejer complained to Orange County sheriff's deputies in June of last year about someone posting pictures of her son when he was 13 riding an e- motorcycle, prosecutors said. Mejer acknowledged she bought the e-motorcycle for her son and it was being used recklessly, prompting warnings from the deputies that she could face charges herself if she continued to let him ride the vehicle, prosecutors alleged.
Prosecutors say the 2025 Surron Ultra Bee, which the teen was riding, requires a motorcycle license, insurance, license plate and registration to use on a public street, and without it the vehicle can only be used on private property or off-highway vehicle areas.
The Ultra Bee can reach speeds up to 58 mph and go from zero to 31 mph in 2.3 seconds, prosecutors said.
When sheriff's deputies investigating the crash questioned Mejer, she allegedly said her family didn't own an e-motorcycle or have access to one, prosecutors said.
The difference between an e-bike and e-motorcycle is that an e-bike has pedals and cannot exceed 20 mph, prosecutors said.
The dangers of e-motorcycles gained renewed attention last Thursday, when a 13-year-old boy was killed when he crashed one of the motorized cycles into a median in Garden Grove. Benson Nguyen of Santa Ana crashed around 9:50 p.m. Thursday on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue, according to Garden Grove police, who said the boy was riding at about 35 mph when he lost control of the motorcycle.
The District Attorney's Office has established a new unit to focus on the engine-driven bicycles, spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said.