A Texas bartender accused of serving alcohol to a man just before he carried out a deadly shooting at a party in 2017 has been arrested.
Lindsey Glass, 27, was arrested last week by Plano police after being accused of violating a state law that prohibits people from negligently selling an alcoholic beverage “to a habitual drunkard or an intoxicated or insane person.”
The misdemeanor offense carries up to a year in jail, a maximum $500 fine or both.
Glass was working at the Local Public House on Sept. 10, 2017, when authorities say she served 32-year-old Spencer Hight several drinks despite him being visibly intoxicated. A medical examiner later determined that his blood alcohol level was four times the state’s legal limit, CBS News reported.
Hight allegedly produced a knife and a gun, which are prohibited by law from Texas bars, and told Glass he “had dirty work to do,” according to a text message Glass sent to a fellow bartender at the time, KXAS-TV in Fort Worth reported.
Hight eventually left the bar and drove to his estranged wife’s home, where he fatally shot her and seven other people at a football game viewing party. Hight was killed by responding police.
Glass’ attorney, Scott Palmer, denied that his client was responsible for Hight’s actions.
“Spencer Hight’s decision to destroy the lives of eight other people is unrelated to the four drinks that Hight consumed at the Local Public House on September 10, 2017,” Palmer said in a statement to CBS News.
Palmer added that Glass, who was friends with Hight and his estranged wife, flagged his behavior to a co-worker and the bar’s owner was contacted, but their concerns were ignored. The bar’s owner reportedly advised the staff against calling 911 when asked. Glass and her co-worker then went to Hight’s estranged wife’s home and, when they saw his car was there, they called 911.
“Lindsey was the only person who tried to stop Hight,” Palmer said. “When Lindsey became suspicious of Hight, she contacted her manager. When her manager’s efforts did not resolve Lindsey’s concerns, she followed Hight and then, as her concerns grew, she called 911. Lindsey never expected for Hight to commit this horrific act.”