Nothing's definite yet as to the fate of Tony Stewart in regards to the sprint car accident that led to the death of co-driver Kevin Ward, Jr.
Many thought that everything will be known this week. But after the Ontario County District Attorney's review of all the information presented, the race car champion's future will now be in the hands of the grand jury.
"Upon my review of all of the information contained in the entire investigation, I have made the determination that it would be appropriate to submit the evidence to a grand jury, for their determination as to what action should be taken in this matter. Accordingly, the evidence developed in the investigation will be presented to an Ontario County grand jury in the near future," Ontario Country District Attorney Michael Tantillo said in his full statement.
This recent development may have stunned a lot of people but not Attorney Donald G. Rehkopf. He told Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee that it's not overly surprising. "If somebody is dead, people are going to want to evaluate it a lot more closely."
In the report of ABC News, specialists said that if prosecutors find Tony Stewart has "recklessly caused the death of another person" he may be charged for second-degree manslaughter under New York law. Negligent homicide may also be likely.
For his part, the three-time NASCAR champion said, "I respect the time and effort spent by both the Ontario County District Attorney and the Sheriff's Office in investigating this tragic accident. I look forward to this process being completed, and I will continue to provide my full cooperation."
NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes released a statement regarding the Ontario County District Attorney's announcement: "We are aware of the completed investigation and the announced next steps. First, our thoughts continue to be with all who have been impacted by this tragedy. We will monitor this process and stay in close contact with Stewart-Haas Racing. It would be inappropriate for NASCAR to comment on this case so we will continue to respect the process and authorities involved."
