Man Seen With UVa Student Charged With Reckless Driving

Jesse 'LJ' Matthew says he bought Hannah Graham drinks but didn't leave with her
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2014 1:30 AM CDT
Man Seen With UVa Student Charged With Reckless Driving
Missing University of Virginia student Hannah Elizabeth Graham.   (AP Photo/Charlottesville, Va., Police Department)

Jesse "LJ" Matthew may or may not be the last person seen with missing UVa student Hannah Graham, but police say that he is now being sought on reckless driving charges. Police monitoring Matthew after his appearance at the Charlottesville police station Saturday saw the nursing assistant speed off at a rate that was "reckless and placed others in danger, so much so that they had to disengage for their protection and protection of other people," the police chief tells the Daily Progress. While at the station, Matthew asked for a lawyer, conferred with the lawyer, then left without speaking to police. On Friday, police had searched Matthew's apartment and seized his car, reports NBC29.

"I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the Earth," the police chief said yesterday, adding that they want to question Matthew. Matthew's grandmother tells the Daily Mail that he claims to have bought the 18-year-old UVa second-year drinks but that the two then went their separate ways. Meanwhile, hundreds of volunteers continue to search for Graham and any clues as to her whereabouts more than a week after her disappearance. (One witness told police Graham looked "physically distressed" before walking away with the man who appears to be Matthew.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X