A female board member for a ritzy Oregon school has resigned after a 17-year-old girl died during a boozy party at her stunning $1.8 million home.
Branda Jurasek, Chair of the Scappoose School District Board, has resigned following demands from furious parents after a tragic incident.
An affidavit reveals that high school senior Ava Crews lost her life on May 18 due to an ATV accident at Jurasek’s property, with her friend Ayden Heard at the wheel.
Eighteen-year-old Heard has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges resulting from the crash, which took place in the affluent community of Sauvie Island, near Portland.
Prosecutors state that Heard confessed to consuming alcohol prior to driving, then making a sudden turn that led to the vehicle flipping over and taking Crews’ life.
Scappoose High School parents were angered that Jurasek, who should be a role model, allowed underage drinking on her luxurious property.
The incident occurred during a celebration in a barn next to Jurasek’s $1.8 million home, nestled in green surroundings by the Gilbert River.
Parents penned an anonymous letter addressed to the School District Board of Education and Multnomah County District Attorney calling for Jurasek to resign – and for the attorney’s office to investigate her.
Scappoose School District Board Chair Branda Jurasek (pictured) has resigned from her role after a 17-year-old girl died during a boozy party at her stunning $1.8 million home
A ritzy Oregon town has been rocked by the death of a beautiful 17-year-old girl after a boozy party at a local bigwig’s $1.8 million home took a tragic turn. High school senior Ava Crews (pictured in her final school photograph) died on May 18 in Sauvie Island while riding an ATV
Heard has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges connected with the horrific crash in the $1.8 home (pictured) close to the ritzy town of Scappoose, just north of Portland
After two months of pressure from the public, Jurasek submitted her resignation letter last week, saying that she and her husband had been ‘devastated’ by Crews’ death.
In the letter dated August 7, she said she wished for ‘hope for peace and healing for everyone affected by this tragedy’.
Jurasek denied providing alcohol to the minors, and said she was quitting her role because the scandal was interfering with the board’s work.
‘Some people have made serious accusations about our family in the days since Ava’s death,’ Jurasek wrote.
‘We want our community to know that the claims are false. We did not provide alcohol to minors.
‘We do not condone underage drinking, and we have never allowed it in our home.’
Ayden Heard (pictured), 18, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges
Crews (pictured) was ‘kind and beautiful inside and out’, her friends said as they posted heartbreaking tributes on social media. She is pictured in happy images from her Instagram
Heard’s attorney, Mark Cogan, said the teen has been left distraught by the tragedy
Prosecutors have not charged Jurasek with providing alcohol to children, but the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said in court documents that high schoolers frequently consumed alcohol on the property where the crash occurred.
Crews’ mother, Brooke Crews, said that pressure from the public and media ultimately forced Jurasek to resign.
Writing on Facebook, she said it was ‘this incredible community raising awareness on social media that pushed her to resign’. ‘My gratitude is endless,’ Crews added.
Her daughter was described by heartbroken friends as ‘kind and beautiful inside and out’ as they posted tributes online in the days after her death.
Ava Crews is pictured in her final school photograph, and in several images on her Instagram account showing a happy childhood as she posed with her friends at prom and enjoyed trips to the beach with her family.
Heard’s attorney, Mark Cogan, said the teen has been left distraught by the tragedy
Crews (pictured) was ‘kind and beautiful inside and out’, her friends said as they posted heartbreaking tributes on social media. She is pictured in a happy image from her Instagram
Heard’s attorney, Mark Cogan, said the teen has been left distraught by the tragedy.
‘They were friends,’ Cogan told Oregon Live of Crews and Heard.
‘She was a very dear person to Ayden and his family, and they’re very sorrowful about what happened to her.’
