The wife of a U.S. diplomat has been charged with causing a fatal wrong-way crash that killed British teen Harry Dunn in southern England over the summer, a highly publicized case that is poised to test the two nations' close relationship.
Authorities said Anne Sacoolas, who invoked diplomatic immunity and returned to the U.S. shortly after the Aug. 27 incident, was driving on the wrong side of the road when her Volvo struck the 19-year-old motorcyclist. The young man died at an Oxford hospital later that day.
Following a months-long investigation, the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service charged her Friday with causing death by dangerous driving and said police would begin extradition proceedings.
Dunn's family, who has been tirelessly fighting for justice over the past few months, broke down in tears after learning Sacoolas would finally be charged.
"I'm proud that I carried out my promise to one of my kids, the promise that I made that we would get that justice," an extremely emotional Charlotte Charles, the teen's mom, told Sky News' camera crew from inside her home.
Sacoolas was involved in a crash in which Harry Dunn died, but she left the country claiming diplomatic immunity.
The family later held a news conference where Charles said she finally has the strength to buy a Christmas tree, something she "never thought" she'd be able to do this year.
But Sacoolas' return to that country is far from certain. The woman's attorney, Amy Jeffress, told the Daily News in a statement that her client "will not return voluntarily to the United Kingdom to face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident."
"This was an accident, and a criminal prosecution with a potential penalty of 14 years imprisonment is simply not a proportionate response," Jeffress said.
U.S. officials also appear to stand behind the woman. In a statement shared with the Daily News, the Department of State said it was "disappointed" by Friday's announcement and said a request to extradite someone "under these circumstances would be an egregious abuse."
"The use of an extradition treaty to attempt to return the spouse of a former diplomat by force would establish an extraordinary troubling precedent," the statement reads. "We do not believe that the U.K.'s charging decision is a helpful development."
Sacoolas, who has previously apologized to Dunn's parents, is married to Jonathan Sacoolas, an intelligence officer at a U.S. base in England. The couple had been living in the U.K. for only three weeks before the crash.
Jeffress said her client was on the wrong side of the road for about 20 seconds and was otherwise "driving cautiously and below the speed limit." The crash happened at the crest of a small hill and she could not see Dunn's motorcycle, the attorney said in her statement.
"Anne is devastated by this tragic accident and continues to extend her deepest condolences to the family," Jeffress wrote. "Anne would do whatever she could to bring Harry back. She is a mother herself and cannot imagine the pain of the loss of a child."
The 42-year-old woman's claims of diplomatic immunity, however, were widely questioned in the months leading up to this week's criminal charges. Even U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson chimed in, demanding in October that she return to his country to face the judicial process.
President DonaldTrump has also been involved in the case. During a meeting with Dunn's parents at the White House in October, Trump suggested they have a face-to-face with the driver accused of taking their son's life. The couple said they felt blindsided as the woman was apparently waiting in another room in the building, but they refused to meet her and soon walked out of the White House.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it would work closely with the U.K. officials and the Home Office to bring the woman to the country.
