CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A bartender was arrested for serving a Texas man before he went on a drunken rampage and killed eight people. She was charged with serving drinks even though he was visibly intoxicated. NBC Charlotte discovered that serving an intoxicated person is also against the law in the Carolinas -- whether you’re a bartender or just hosting a party.
It might seem odd to some that someone just doing their job could be held liable for another person’s intoxicated actions, but it turns out it happens here more than you might think.
In September 2017, Hight shot and killed 8 people at a football watch party at his estranged wife's Texas home. Hight died during a police shootout after the murders -- an autopsy showed his blood alcohol content was more than four times the legal limit.
A year and a half later, the bartender who served Hight drinks that night has been arrested. Lindsey Glass was charged with serving an intoxicated person, a misdemeanor.
“It’s pretty easy just cut them off,” said Michael Crowley, Chief of Mecklenburg County ABC law enforcement.
Crowley said the same law applies in the Carolinas.
“We’ve had several cases in which we will go back if maybe someone is killed in a DWI … or crashes, we will backtrack to see where they were, see where they got the alcohol from, we’ll look at video," Crowley said. "They’re difficult cases to prove but we look at every one of them."
The law is pretty broad -- it just says no one in North or South Carolina can serve alcohol to an intoxicated person.
That applies to not only servers and bartenders, but caterers, wholesalers, liquor store clerks … even you, if you host a party.
“You’re going to be held liable for it,” Crowley said.
The arrest of Glass caused mixed reactions. Her attorney told NBC News the charge is "shameful" and "a last-ditch effort by the Plano PD to make someone pay."
But at the end of the day, Crowley says it is the law -- adding the ABC Board offers free training to restaurants and bars on how to recognize and refuse a drunk customer.
“Especially if you’re in that industry you need to know that," Crowley said. "It is a big responsibility”
This is a misdemeanor charge. Glass faces a year in prison, a fine of $500, or both.
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