The man charged with causing the fatal crash that killed a college student and injured several others was released from jail Thursday and will await his trial on house arrest.
David Lamar V, 22, of West Windsor, had a blood alcohol content over three times the legal limit when he drove head-on into a car full of students from The College of New Jersey Dec. 2, according to authorities. The designated driver in that vehicle, Michael Sot, 20, of Clark, died from his injuries.
It took Mercer County Superior Court Judge Anthony Massi two days to make the decision to put Lamar on house arrest, after he heard arguments Tuesday about whether he should be held in jail pending trial.
Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Stacey Geurds argued that he could be a flight risk because he left the hospital after he was being treated for his injuries, and authorities had to track him down. She also said he was danger to society because he could drink and drive again.
Lamar’s attorney, Robin Lord, told Massi that Lamar had strong ties to the area and never attempted to flee, he simply went home. She convinced the judge to order house arrest, with electronic monitoring and home breath tests to make sure he isn’t drinking. He will also surrender his driver’s license, according to the prosecutor’s office.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Geurds said video footage shows Lamar was drinking for nearly three hours at Landmark Americana Tap & Grill, a bar on TCNJ’s campus, before the crash. He drank numerous beers and a drink called a “fishbowl,” she said, and stumbled outside right before leaving the bar.
His blood alcohol content was .239 and the legal limit to drive is .08.
Lamar was trying to pass other vehicles on Pennington Road when his vehicle hit the car full of TCNJ students, authorities said. They were returning home from a Phi Kappa Psi party and Sot, a math major, was one of the fraternity’s designated drivers that night.
He’s charged with seven counts of assault by auto, one count of vehicular manslaughter, one count of driving while under the influence and several motor vehicle charges.
- Staff writer Paige Gross contributed to this report.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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