From staff reports
ST. CLAIR COUNTY — A 17-year-old has been charged with manslaughter after an indictment and his arrest according to Alabama State Trooper spokesman Chuck Daniel.
The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, was arrested Thursday after a St. Clair County grand jury indicted him.
The charges stem from a 2014 incident where 15-year-old Springville High School student and football player Hunter Sligh fell off the bed of a 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac pickup truck along Oak Valley Road near Ashville Dec. 18, 2014. Sligh was seriously injured on the side of the road and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A report from the St. Clair News-Aegis reported alcohol was involved in the incident, but said Sligh was not participating in any drinking. That prompted the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control board to bring their “Under Age – Under Arrest” program to the school. Authorities have not said, however, what specifically led to the indictment.