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OC mom appears in court after being charged in death of man, 81, struck by teen son on e-motorcycle

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LAKE FOREST, Calif. (KABC) -- An Aliso Viejo mother made her first court
appearance Tuesday morning after being charged with involuntary
manslaughter for allegedly allowing her 14-year-old son to ride an
e-motorcycle before he fatally hit an 81-year-old man in Lake Forest in
April. 

Tommi Jo Mejer's scheduled arraignment was postponed. She is now
scheduled to be arraigned on June 30 in Newport Beach. 

Orange County prosecutors contend that the 51-year-old woman allowed her
son to use the motorized cycle despite being warned of its dangers
multiple times. 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. 

"We have her on body-worn camera talking about and understanding the
dangers and the illegality of this particular vehicle," Orange County
District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a recent interview with
Eyewitness News. "I'm charging the mother because she provided the
motorcycle, she was aware of it, she was warned on a prior occasion that
this was a dangerous vehicle that her son could not legally possess, and
certainly couldn't ride. And, irrespective of those admonitions and
warnings, she continued to allow him to do so." 

Mejer posted her $100,000 bond and was released from custody. She had no
comment as she walked out of the courtroom in Newport Beach on Tuesday. 

"Tommi Mejer is anguished over the terrible accident," Mejer's attorneys
said in a written statement. "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 illegally riding an e-motorcycle when he crashed into
81-year-old Ed Ashman at about 4 p.m. on 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. He died on April 30, after which
prosecutors filed an amended criminal complaint against Mejer, charging
her with involuntary manslaughter. 

Orange County prosecutors allege 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. 

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 said. 

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. 

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. The difference between an e-bike and an e-motorcycle is that an
e-bike has pedals and cannot exceed 20 mph, prosecutors said. 

"An American hero who survived flying combat missions in Vietnam could
not survive walking across the street in Lake Forest because of a
14-year-old child who was allowed to ride an e-motorcycle that he should
have never been riding," Spitzer wrote in a statement. "This mother
essentially handed her 14-year-old son a deadly weapon, and despite
multiple warnings of the dangers, continued to let him illegally ride an
e-motorcycle until he finally killed someone." 

The district attorney's office is unable to comment on what, if any,
charges Mejer's 14-year-old son may be facing in the case. 

A GoFundMe has been set up to help support Ashman's family, who was
present during Mejer's court appearance on Tuesday. 

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. 

https://abc7.com/post/oc-mom-tommi-jo-mejer-appears-court-being-charged-d
eath-ed-ashman-man-struck-teen-boys-motorcycle/19088212/ 

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OC mom appears in court after being charged in death of man, 81, struck by teen son on e-motorcycle Pelosi Goes To prison <noreply@mixmin.net> - 2026-05-13 09:10 +0100

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