Black Dope Head Kills 16-Year-Old White Passenger Then Tells Family Not to Get Mad at Him

Cleveland
March 18, 2014

The Gates Mills man accused of driving high on marijuana at 85 mile per hour and crashing into a tree, killing his 16-year-old passenger, is being held in the city jail on $780,000 bond.

Jerard A. Rood, 19, entered no plea Friday at his initial appearance in South Euclid Municipal Court, where he is charged with first-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault and two first-degree misdemeanor charges of phone harassment.

Judge Gayle Williams-Byers set bond at $780,000 combined on the three cases. She also set a March 21 preliminary hearing date for the felony case.

“He’s young and anytime you face a first-degree felony, it’s life-changing,” Rood’s attorney Jason L. Carter said after the hearing. “Everyone’s life is changed. It’s a tough situation.”

South Euclid Traffic Commissioner Robert Abele said on Friday they found after examining the car’s “black box” that Rood drove about 85 miles per hour and never hit his breaks before crashing into the tree.

Rood’s friend’s sister, 16-year-old Karly B. Ciuprinskas, a junior at Brush High School, died in the crash. Rood and Ciuprinskas’ 17-year-old sister suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Officers arrested Rood on a warrant early Friday. He is accused of driving with marijuana in his system about 1 p.m. March 1, losing control around a curve on Telhurst Road and striking the tree.

Police said she died instantly and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s ruled she died from blunt impact injuries to her head, neck and trunk, multiple internal injuries and injuries to her skeletal and muscular systems.

The medical examiner’s office also ruled the death as accidental.

The girl’s 17-year-old sister sitting in the front passenger seat was taken to Hillcrest Hospital and was released the same day as the crash. Rood also suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said.

Authorities also charged Rood twice with telephone harassment, accused of continuing to call Ciuprinskas’ family despite being asked multiple times by police to stop contacting them.

Rood was first cited March 4, three days after the crash. He was cited again on Wednesday, court records say.

Police reports say when Rood called the family March 11, he said to a family member “Don’t get mad at me, but it’s Jerard.” Reports say the family member immediately hung up. Rood called back two more times, reports say.

“I think the best thing everyone can do now is pray for everyone involved,” Carter said. “No one wins in this situation.”