By Michael Gryboski, Editor Thursday, April 23, 2026

An Ohio pastor has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 14-year-old church member who died in a traffic accident.

Rushon T. Patterson II, a 27-year-old pastor at Alive Now Kidz Church, was found guilty of the charge on Tuesday in connection with the death of Malachi I. Nichols-Williams last year.

Patterson was also found guilty of allowing the teenager to ride outside his vehicle on the night of the accident, but he was not found guilty of reckless homicide.

Stark County Common Pleas Judge Natalie R. Haupt is scheduled to sentence Patterson on May 20, according to The Canton Repository, with the pastor facing up to three years in prison.

Pamela Nichols, the victim's mother, told The Canton Repository that she didn't consider Patterson to be a bad person, saying that he “stepped in and was a dad to my kids.”

Defense attorney Jeffrey R. Jakmides stated that the situation was “just a terrible tragedy” and there were “no winners,” the outlet added. 

Last September, Patterson was arrested following a traffic accident that resulted in the death of Nichols-Williams. The accident occurred about a block away from where the teenager lived.

Patterson had been driving a church van and had allowed at least one teenager to hang off the side of the vehicle, with a witness telling police that multiple teens were doing so, WOIO News reported at the time.

According to the outlet, Patterson then hit a pothole while he was operating the church van, causing Nichols-Williams to fly off the vehicle and be seriously injured in the fall, later dying from the fatal injuries. 

Based in Canton, Alive Now was founded by Pastor Joann Macksyn, along with the children’s ministry group, Alive Now Kidz, launched in 2021.

“Our mission is to reach out to high-risk children (Kidz) with the message of the Gospel, to lead them into their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to the best of our ability, meet whatever spiritual, practical and emotional needs that arise with food, clothing and our sponsorship program,” noted ANK’s website.

In 2024, The Canton Repository reported that Macksyn’s Alive Now Services, a home care business centered on adults with developmental disabilities, had its certification revoked by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities amid accusations of neglect and verbal abuse.

Macksyn claimed at the time that state officials were wrong to remove ANS’ certification, telling them that she had fixed or was in the process of repairing the assorted issues with the business.

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/ohio-pastor-found-guilty-of-vehicular-homicide-in-teens-death.html