A man arrested in the alcohol-related death of 17-year-old Julio Caceres admitted that he bought a bottle of Canadian whiskey that witnesses said Caceres had been drinking from at a party, according to Iowa court records.
Dustin Thomas, 27, of Crescent, Iowa, was arrested Monday, authorities said.
Thomas was charged with providing alcohol to a person under the legal age resulting in death, a felony. He was being held on $5,000 cash bail.
Attempts to reach Thomas’ lawyer, Joel Niebaum, were unsuccessful.
A woman who said she was Thomas’ mother but declined to give her name said that the accusation against her son was false and that he wasn’t at the party.
“I don’t understand why they were going after him,” the woman said. “All it is is a bunch of bald-faced lies.”
If convicted, Thomas could face the maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Police also said nine people, ages 15 to 19, were ticketed on suspicion of underage possession of alcohol in connection with the party. Five of the teenagers are from Harlan, Iowa. The others are from Walnut, Shelby, Kirkman and Defiance.
Caceres, 17, was at a party at a house on Victoria Street in Harlan on Oct. 9 when friends found him unconscious shortly after midnight.
After being taken to a local hospital, Caceres was transferred to the pediatric unit at the Nebraska Medical Center, where he died Oct. 11. An autopsy found that he had choked on his own vomit while intoxicated, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
The criminal complaint alleges that Thomas told investigators he bought a 1.75 liter bottle of Black Velvet, a Canadian whiskey, that was consumed at the party.
The complaint cites “several witness statements” that say Caceres drank “a large amount” from the bottle.
Born in El Salvador, Caceres lived there until he was 10, later moving to Denison, Iowa, where he attended middle and high school and played soccer. He had moved to Harlan in 2010, enrolling at Harlan Community High School.
Caceres’ mother, Cindi Lorena Caceres, said she and her family did not know Thomas.
“My heart hurts so much,” she said. “I want to say a lot ... but can’t (speak) because I am so full of sorrow.”
World-Herald staff writer Cindy Gonzalez contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
