A World of Beer bartender in Cypress has been charged with over-serving a colleague who then allegedly drove while intoxicated and caused a fatal crash.

The January 26, 2020 accident on Barker Cypress Road resulted in the death of one woman and caused injuries to two others.

Twenty-five-year-old Miguel Rizo was arrested on Sunday. He is accused of over-serving 26-year-old Zachary Castro. Castro was also a bartender at World of Beer but he was not on duty.

Police detectives said surveillance video showed that Castro was visibly intoxicated.

According to a statement from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, he was observed walking into a waiter at the establishment and then raising his glass to toast the waiter.

He was said to be staggering and stumbling.

The DA’s office said as Castro left the bar and restaurant around 1:30 a.m., he had difficulty opening the door.

When he got behind the wheel, he lost control of his Toyota Tundra and hit a group of people who were checking on a vehicle that had veered off the road.

Twenty-three-year-old Mayra Ospina died from injuries sustained in the accident. One of the other injured people was seriously hurt.

Castro was subsequently charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault.

Meanwhile, Rizo was accused of providing alcohol to an intoxicated person and allowing an intoxicated person to remain on the premises. Both charges are misdemeanors and Rizo could spend up to a year in jail.

Chief of the District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Division Sean Teare said the charges should serve as a message to everyone who serves alcohol. He stressed that if they don’t serve legally and responsibly, serious consequences could follow.

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