Involuntary manslaughter charges have been dropped against a man accused of supplying liquor to a Houston teenager who died in a May 2009 automobile accident.
Judge Ronald D. White ruled last week that there was no probable cause for an involuntary manslaughter charge against Matthew Mayfield. The decision came in a six-page document released last week. Mayfield was charged in connection with the death of David Foster, 17, of Houston, who was killed in a car accident on Highway B east of Houston.
White said Mayfield, 23, at the time of his arrest, had not been shown “to have procured intoxicating liquor for Mr. Foster, or sold it to him, or given it to him, or in any way actually supply the intoxicating liquor to him. All evidence establishes that the defendant observed Mr. Foster drinking and failed to take any action to stop him. This is a not a violation of (the law).”
White added, “The court concludes that while the events of the late night of May 30, 2009, and the early morning hours of May 31, 2009, were tragic, they do not establish probable cause to believe that felony was committed by the defendant.”
Another man, Ben Crawford, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. According to court documents, Foster had been at the Crawford residence before the accident. Crawford and Mayfield, and more than a dozen others, arrived at the residence following a canoe trip and found Foster intoxicated at the residence with another teenager, according to testimony.
Crawford earlier entered a not guilty plea and is to appear July 6 for a formal arraignment in circuit court.