GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — In his wheelchair, 17-year-old Colin Rogers waited with his father outside of juvenile court in Kent County for what the Rogers family said was a plea hearing Thursday afternoon for a teenager involved in assaulting Colin.
In mid-June, Colin was dragged by a car in Tyrone Township after a dispute involving a vape pen, leaving him paralyzed, bound to a wheelchair, and unable to speak.
"In all honesty, dealing with this day after day after day, feels almost as bad as if he was actually passed," said Colin's father Clay Rogers.
While not confirmed through the juvenile court system, Clay said Thursdays hearing was for the driver of the vehicle, and that he entered a "no-contest" plea.
"A 10 year old knows that if they throw their cell phone out the window at over 45 miles an hour, it's gonna smash on the ground and break. And that's exactly what they did to my son," said Clay.
Originally, the driver was arraigned on charges ranging from Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm Less than Murder to Failure to Stop at the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident.
Because juvenile court is closed to the public, it's unknown what punishment-- if any-- the driver will face. Nonetheless, Clay said, he'll never stop fighting for justice for Colin.
"You're constantly looking him in the eyes, you're constantly watching him have trouble breathing, you're constantly looking at an inanimate human being, that used to be so full of life, that it's no longer full of life," said Clay.
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