Affidavit: Plano bartender knew Spencer Hight was drunk, served him anyways
Police records give new details on the arrest of a Plano bartender for serving alcohol to a man who later committed the worst mass murder in the city’s history.
Plano PD says the recent arrest is part of their continued investigation into the horrific deaths of innocent people. But attorneys who represent the victims’ families say more people at the bar should be held accountable.
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The affidavit says the bartender on Sept. 10, 2017, intentionally, knowingly and with criminal negligence sold alcohol to Spencer Hight, even though police say he was exhibiting signs and behaviors that he was already drunk.
The arrest report describes what 27-year-old Lindsey Glass served to Hight and his erratic behavior in the hours before he murdered eight people at a Cowboys watch party.
Glass was arrested last Tuesday and is facing a misdemeanor charge for selling alcohol to a habitual drunk, intoxicated or insane person.
Police say Hight’s blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit when he showed up to his estranged wife’s house on Sept. 10, 2017, and killed eight people before he was shot and killed by police.
The arrest affidavit says surveillance video shows Glass, who was working at Local Public House at the time, sold Hight two well gins, two beers and a shot over two separate visits that day just a few hours apart.
The affidavit says Hight was unsteady and running into tables. In Glass’ presence, Hight began to spin a “big knife on the bar” then was seen “pulling out a gun” from his waistband. Glass texted a co-worker saying Hight told her he had to go “do some dirty work.” She texted “Psychoooooo.”
The report says Glass told her friend that Hight kept repeating he has to “put someone in his place.” She told the friend she thought he’d been drinking somewhere else between his two visits to Local Public House.
Attorneys for four of the eight victims’ families claim those eight people would be alive today if bar staff would have called police.
“Not only the bartender, but the manager made the decision to let him go, to not call the police and to not take any action,” said attorney Dan Garrigan. “And we just feel that that lack of action on the part of the bar was grossly negligent on their part.”
“We feel that if they would’ve called the police, there’s a great chance that none of this would’ve ever happened,” said family attorney Brett Stalcup.
“I don’t know that it’s unfair that she’s being charged, but our position is that there are others who are equally if not more complicit in this,” Garrigan said.
The family attorneys have dropped the suit they were filing against the bar, but say they want to re-file the suit in a way that maximizes the benefit to their clients.
Scott Palmer is representing Glass. He says it’s no coincidence the warrant for her arrest was issued the same day the civil lawsuit was dropped. He and points out Glass left the bar to try to locate Hight, whom she knew, and that she called 911.
“It is shameful of the Plano Police Department to go after the person who was vital in trying to stop the horrific events of that evening,” he said.
Palmer calls the arrest “a last-ditch effort by the Plano PD to make someone pay.” He also questioned why it took so long to arrest Glass.
“The delay was to be diligent in working with the TABC to make sure a complete examination of the case warranted an arrest,” Plano PD said in response.
Glass faces up to a year in jail and $500 fine.