A Butte County man accused of killing two teenagers in a fiery crash on Dayton Road saw his second arraignment postponed to next week after his attorney failed to show up and his bail was revoked following a probation violation. Drew Thompson appeared before a judge in Butte County Superior Court, but the hearing was pushed to the following week after a public defender stood in for his absent attorney, who was handling a preliminary hearing in another county.
Two people died and one was injured in the crash, which happened in January near Dayton Road and Owen Lane in the Durham area around 3:30 a.m., according to Action News Now. Thompson faces two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the deaths of Santino Ramirez, 19, and Carter Lyles, 17, and could face five years and four months in state prison if convicted, per the same report.
Bail Revoked After Probation Violation
A probation officer administered a urine test to Thompson, and the results, which took a few days to come back, showed alcohol and marijuana in his system.
Following the probation violation, the court revoked Thompson's bail in the manslaughter case.
A Community Still Mourning Two Teens
Carter Lyles was a senior at Las Plumas High School and played on the school's football team, according to the same Action News Now report on the crash's victims. The outlet also previously covered a candlelight vigil held at Harrison Stadium in Oroville to remember the two teenagers.
The case drew public attention well before this latest delay. In April, krcrtv.com reported that the investigation remained open, with no arrests or conclusive evidence shared publicly at that time, less than three months after the crash. That report noted a crowd gathered around 1 p.m. outside Butte County Superior Court that April, seeking movement in the case. Ramsey told the station then that the average time for this kind of investigation to reach completion varies between three and six months, though that timeline was not presented as a deadline specific to this case.
What California Law Says About Manslaughter
Thompson's charges fall under California Penal Code section 192, which defines manslaughter as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice, according to California Legislative Information. That statutory language does not by itself resolve how prosecutors intend to apply it to the specific allegations against Thompson in this case.
For now, the case remains unresolved, with Thompson's bail status still in question and his attorney due back in Butte County Superior Court alongside him on November 19.
