Old fight results in mistrial for teens accused of drag racing

<p>A decade-old fight resulted in a mistrial in the case of two teens accused of drag racing and causing the death of a 17 year old.</p><p>Superior Court Judge Debra Turner granted the mistrial Thursday after defense attorney Jeff Sliz discovered that his client's brother had been in a fight with the prosecutor's son more than 10 years ago.</p><p>Prosecutor Phil Wiley's son, Brad, is now an investigator in the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office.</p><p>Turner granted Sliz's motion for mistrial but noted that there was no evidence of prosecutor misconduct.</p><p>District Attorney Danny Porter called the motion for mistrial "an unwarranted attack on Phil's integrity." Porter said he will probably prosecute the case himself in September.</p><p>Stephen Carter, 19, whose brother was involved in the fight with Brad Wiley, and Paul Copeland, 18, are accused of a February 2003 drag-racing incident in which Matthew Lane, 17, was killed when Copeland's truck collided with the car in which Lane was riding.</p><p>Sliz claims the two were not racing.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x285c6a0)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/6/167343