Vermont State Police have accused two 22-year-old men, Jon Schurger and Dylon Smith, of contributing to the death of Carson Smith, 16, in a traffic accident at 4:45 am on July 18 in Berkshire.
Schurger is accused of supplying the alcohol that led to Carson Smith’s death. Dylon Smith is being charged as an accessory to the felony. The two Smiths are not related.
Carson Smith, who lived in Berkshire, was alone in his Toyota pickup truck when it crashed on Water Tower Road. Accident investigators found that Smith began losing control of his truck after cresting a hilltop on the rain-slicked road. He attempted to regain control of the vehicle, but overcorrected, and the vehicle began traveling nearly broadside, police reports said. The truck went off the road and overturned several times. Smith, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle, police said.
The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the 16-year-old was intoxicated at the time “and may have been impaired by a substance other than alcohol.”
A state police investigation found that Carson Smith was among several teenagers attending “an underage drinking party” that started in Richford and ended in Montgomery, and “alcohol, drugs and speed are all believed to be contributing factors in this crash,” according to a state police press release.
From witness statements and video footage, police said, they determined that Schurger had purchased the alcohol from a store in Enosburg, while accompanied by Dylon Smith.
Schurger, who lives in St. Albans City, has been charged with “sale or furnishing (alcohol) to minors; enabling consumption by minors causing death or serious bodily injury.” The maximum penalty for that offense is up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Dylon Smith, who lives in Enosburgh, was charged with being an “accessory aiding in the commission of a felony,” which means he will be treated as a principal in the crime, per Vermont law.
Both men were taken into custody on Thursday. Arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 2, when the detailed police affidavit in support of the charges will be made public. The Franklin County state’s attorney was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
