Judge to decide if 17-year-old will be tried as an adult for vehicular homicide

A Linn County Juvenile judge will make a written ruling in a few days on whether a 17-year-old charged with two counts of vehicular homicide should be tried in adult court.

Ramius Hardiman, of Cedar Rapids, was charged last month with two counts of vehicular homicide after a crash on Nov. 8 that killed Jose Mendoza, 17. Hardiman unintentionally caused Mendoza's death by operating a vehicle while he was under the influence of alcohol, according to one count in the criminal complaint, and the other count alleges that reckless driving caused the accident.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Bill Croghan said the state filed a motion to move the case to adult district court based on seriousness of the crime, Hardiman's age – he will turn 18 in January, which would provide less of an opportunity for services in the juvenile system – and because of his criminal history.

Court documents indicate Hardiman was under the supervision of the juvenile court office at the time of the crash, after previous charges of third-degree burglary and fifth-degree theft in the past year.

Juvenile Court Officer Sam Moen testified during the hearing about Hardiman's probation and his offenses.

According to a police report, Mendoza was wearing his seat belt in the back seat of the car Hardiman was driving as he lost control. The car rolled and hit a utility pole in the 3300 block of Cottage Grove Avenue SE. Mendoza was flown to an Iowa City hospital where he died.

Two other passengers in the car, Katie Opperman, 18, of Central City, and Bostan Andrew, 17, of Cedar Rapids, were not seriously hurt. All four of the teenagers were students at Metro High School in Cedar Rapids.