Man charged in crash that killed friend

The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office has charged a Valley Springs man with manslaughter in connection with the Sept. 5 crash that killed a Jamestown teenager.         According to the California Highway Patrol, Trevor Larson, 19, was driving at an unsafe speed under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he lost control of his car and crashed.

Cody George, 19, was killed in the accident. A second passenger, Colton McTeer, 19, of Mokelumne Hill, was uninjured, according to the report.
  

Deputy District Attorney James Newkirk said the traffic violation was not enough to prove manslaughter with more than ordinary carelessness. Gross negligence requires an act of recklessness that creates a high risk of death and bodily injury, which the District Attorney’s Office didn’t feel it could prove despite the alcohol and marijuana use.

“It’s hard to prove gross negligence when you just have essentially one traffic violation that caused the injury,” Newkirk said.

The victim’s family also requested leniency for Larson, Newkirk said.

The crashed occurred at 11:17 p.m. on Sept. 5 on Highway 49 north of Rawhide Road, near Tuttletown. The car ran through three fences and a stop sign before stopping in the yard of a private residence.

George, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at Sonora Regional Medical Center following the wreck.

Larson sustained major injuries and was also taken to Sonora Regional. He was arrested after his release.

Larson was tested after the accident. The toxicology report stated that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.07 percent and tested positive for marijuana.

The DA filed the complaint Nov. 9.

An arraignment date has not yet been set.