COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Trial has been set for midsummer for the Montana man accused of allowing a 17-year-old boy to drink with him at a Colusa restaurant
shortly before he was killed in 2022 when the teen reportedly jumped from
a moving vehicle.
Edward Page, 66, appeared before Colusa County Superior Court Judge
Jeffrey A. Thompson on Nov. 20 to again plead not guilty to a single felony
charge and three special allegations that could keep him in prison for more than a decade.
Thompson allowed Yuba City attorney Matthew Smith, of Santana and
Smith Law Firm, to replace Page’s previous attorney, Jesse Santana, who was
appointed Judge of the Sutter County Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom
in October.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the teenager had been drinking
alcohol with Page, a family acquaintance, at Slough House Social, a popular
bar and eatery on the Sacramento River on May 19, 2022.
According to video obtained and released by Sacramento TV station KOVR, servers at Slough House plied the teenager with about 10 alcoholic beverages over the course of 90 minutes, ending with him downing three in quick succession.
The video shows he then got into a confrontation with one server, who slapped him in the face, before she helped him walk to the parking lot and get into a pickup truck.
Page drove away and made it down Butte Slough Road about one mile from the bar, when the teen, who was later reported to have a blood alcohol
level greater than .20, exited the vehicle while it was moving and sustained
fatal injuries from the fall, investigators confirmed.
The teen died at the UC Davis Medical, which triggered the State of California Alcohol and Beverage Control to open a Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies investigation immediately after the incident to determine the source of the alcohol that was illegally furnished.
ABC agents determined that three Slough House Social servers repeatedly served alcohol to the minor and Page, according to the March 21 news release
from ABC Director Eric Hirata.
ABC filed disciplinary action against Slough House Social for furnishing
alcoholic beverages to a minor and service to an obviously intoxicated minor.
Slough House Social was forced to transfer its liquor license, and the
restaurant has since reopened under new ownership.
Page is charged with felony child endangerment, one special allegation of willful harm or injury resulting in death, two special allegations of driving with a
blood alcohol level greater than .20, and two other DUI-related misdemeanors.
Page, who previously refused a plea deal that would have resulted in a four year prison sentence, is facing up to six years in prison for the child endangerment charge and up to four years on each of the special allegations, if convicted by a jury.
The anticipated four-day trial is set for July 25-26 and Aug 1-2. A trial readiness conference is set for May 8.
While the trial is set further out than Thompson would have liked, he agreed
with Smith’s request for midsummer because the case is “unusual” and may
rely on the testimony of experts.
District Attorney Brendan Farrell is prosecuting the case.