HOUSTON – Two establishments originally believed to have served alcohol to a man who is accused of causing a fatal crash in southeast Houston earlier this month have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the District Attorney's Office.
Based on the investigation, Bombshells and Studio 80 did not serve alcohol to 21-year-old Erik Julian Deleon before a deadly crash on March 1. His identification was not scanned at the bar that night and there was no credit card used. Also, the DA's Office reviewed surveillance video of the night and determined Deleon was not at Bombshells or Studio 80.
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Investigators are now trying to determine if Deleon was served at two other establishments.
The crash happened around 1 a.m. in the 14800 block of Galveston Road near Pineloch Drive and involved two pickup trucks and a silver Dodge Caliber. The Caliber was driven by a ride-share driver who worked for both Uber and Lyft, but was driving for Lyft at the time of the crash.
Investigators said Deleon was driving a gray Dodge Ram truck north on Galveston Road when he slammed into a silver Mazda B2300 pickup truck, which was stopped at the red light. The Ram then hit the Caliber, which was turning left on Galveston Road with a green light, authorities said. Authorities said 40-year-old Bill Satterfield, the Lyft passenger, was in the back seat and was killed in the crash.
The Lyft driver was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
Deleon was charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. Jesse Mercado, 32, was driving the Mazda truck and was charged with driving under the influence. Neither Deleon nor Mercado were severely injured.
While authorities were investigating, a fourth vehicle drove through a police barricade and crashed into a patrol unit. No officers were injured and that driver was also evaluated for intoxication.
At the time of the crash, investigators said Deleon told them he has several shots of tequila at a nearby bar. On Wednesday, the DA's Office said neither Bombshells nor Studio 80 served him. The bars are owned by the same company. In a separate interview on March 6, Deleon told investigators he was not at either establishment on the night of the crash.
Deleon's blood-alcohol level was .216, just under three times the legal limit, according to officials.
Officials said whoever served Deleon could face charges.