Teen pleads not guilty to manslaughter, drunk driving charge in fatal rollover crash

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The 17-year-old Anchorage teenager facing adult charges in a truck accident that killed a passenger pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon.

Stefan Shearer is currently charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence after he allegedly drove a Ford F-350 under the influence and crashed.

Although medical help arrived on scene following the accident, one of the two teenage passengers in the truck did not survive after being pulled from where he was pinned under the truck.

Shearer, who has been out on bail and under house arrest since October 16, did not appear in court on Thursday. Instead, his lawyer appeared in court with Shearer by telephone.

Shearer has not yet appeared in person and only confirmed his presence to the judge once by telephone on Thursday. Neither Shearer's parents nor the victim's family were present. The restraining order preventing Shearer from contacting either the surviving victim or the families of any of the teenagers present the night of the crash remains in effect.

Shearer's representative, John Cashion, declined to comment to Alaska's News Source about why a not guilty plea was entered.

Shearer's next court date is scheduled for December.

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.