PLANO, Texas —
A Texas bartender is facing charges, accused of serving a drunk man who went on to kill eight people at a football watch party in 2017.
NBC DFW reports Lindsey Glass was arrested April 30 and charged with allegedly violating a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code titled “Sale to Certain Persons.”
Glass faces a fine of up to $500, a year in jail, or both.
Spencer Hight, 32, had been drinking at the Plano bar on Sept. 10, 2017, before he traveled to his estranged wife’s home and opened fire as she hosted a football watch party.
His estranged wife, Meredith Hight, and seven other people were killed. Spencer Hight was later killed by police responding to the shooting.
The medical examiner concluded Hight had a blood alcohol level four times the state’s legal limit when he opened fire.
A report from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission concluded that Glass served Hight despite him having displayed signs of intoxication.
According to the report, Blass texted a fellow bartender that Hight had been at the bar on the day of the shooting and “had 2 gins and he only had 2 beers and a shot when he came back [sic] I think he was at another bar while he was gone.”
Another text from Glass stated, “Spencer has a big knife on the bar and is spinning it and just asked for his tab and said I have to go do some dirty work … Psychoooooooo.”
Investigators say Glass should have known not to serve Hight because she had been trained and certified to identify and avoid the sale of alcohol to intoxicated customers.
“This case shows the critically important role that TABC-licensed businesses play in upholding public safety,” said Bentley Nettles, the commission’s executive director. “Anyone, including customers, business owners, or employees, should contact their local police any time they suspect a threat to the public. In some cases, shootings like this can be stopped before a life is lost.”
