Raleigh Christmas parade driver faces new involuntary manslaughter charge

The driver in the Raleigh Christmas Parade faces new charges after the accident that led to an 11-year-old girl’s death.

Landen Glass now faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and infractions of failure to reduce speed and improper brakes, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Wednesday night.

He was previously charged Nov. 19, hours after the accident, with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade.

Freeman said a grand jury met March 20 and returned an indictment on the new charges. She said she could not elaborate on the facts of case but that the charges came following “additional investigation.”

He appeared in administrative court Jan. 26, where his case was continued to March 29.

Freeman said he now will need to turn himself in on the new charges, where the conditions for his release will be set. His case will be turned over to Superior Court, with a new date set several weeks from now, Freeman said. Next week’s court date no longer will take place for Glass.

“This is the beginning of a process,” Freeman said.

Glass was driving a pickup truck and towing a float in the Raleigh Christmas Parade when his vehicle lost control on Hillsborough Street. Spectators said Glass honked his horn and shouted for people to get out of the way, while parade-goers rushed to stop the truck.

The truck struck Hailey Kaye Brooks, who was dancing with the CC & Company Dance Complex near the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Boylan Avenue. First responders took Hailey to the hospital where she died.

Glass, 20, lives in Goode, Va. Documents obtained by The News & Observer showed that Glass had previously been issued multiple citations for his vehicle, including failure to have it inspected.

The involuntary manslaughter charge is a Class F felony with a maximum sentence of three years, but Freeman said the penalty is based on prior record.

If convicted on the initial charges, Glass would face a maximum sentence of one year in jail, a 30-day suspension of his driver’s license, up to a $750 fine and a lasting mark on his driving record.

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