A judge ordered the criminal charges lodged against the woman accused of providing the whiskey that killed an 18-year-old Durand man to Circuit Court for trial.


Livingston County District Judge Carol Sue Reader's decision came after testimony Tuesday from a sheriff's detective, who said Lindsay Alice Treanor, 21, admitted that she provided the Five Star whiskey that contributed to the death of Bryce Earl Dickinson at the Pinckney Depot on Nov. 7.

Treanor, who is free on bond, is charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor causing death. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted as charged.

Dr. Michelle Elieff, a forensic pathologist at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, also testified that Dickinson's blood-alcohol level was 0.32, according to blood analysis and it was measured at 0.50 based on urine analysis. She said the urine test would show a higher level as Dickinson's body metabolized the alcohol.

"That is not an insignificant level," she noted. "This (alcohol) is the cause of death."

Elieff labeled the cause of death as acute ethanol intoxication associated with exposure to a cold environment. She said she ruled the manner of death an accident and not suicide because there was no indication that Dickinson consumed the alcohol with the intent of dying.

On cross-examination, defense attorney John M. English questioned whether Dickinson could have died after swallowing his own vomit, but Elieff discounted the notion.

Elieff also noted that Dickinson did not suffer any blunt-force injuries and there were no natural diseases present to account for his death.

English also questioned whether the hydrocodone found in Dickinson's urine contributed to his death, and Elieff acknowledged the drug combined with the alcohol can cause respiratory issues, but she said its presence in the urine was not a contributing factor to the victim's death.

The amount of hydrocodone was not measured because it was found in the urine and not the blood, Elieff said, noting that no other opiates were found in the victim's system.

Sheriff's Detective Don Welch testified that Treanor, who lists a Pinckney address but was believed to be homeless, admitted that she picked up Dickinson on Nov. 4 to hang out all weekend.

He said Treanor admitted that she purchased a half-gallon of Five Star whiskey from the Brighton Meijer on Nov. 7 and that she, Dickinson and another friend drank the alcohol while sitting in the woods near the Pinckney Depot.

Treanor said the group decided to seek shelter in the depot as day turned to night and the cold set in, but she told police that Dickinson did not want to go into the abandoned building, Welch said.

"She let him use her car," Welch said. "She left Bryce in the back of her car. ... She held him, they talked, and she kissed him."

Welch said it was when a fourth friend came to the depot that they noticed something was wrong with Dickinson, whose lips were blue. The three friends, including Treanor, drove Dickinson to Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital in Howell, where he was pronounced dead.

On cross-examination, English asked Welch what, if anything, was Treanor's involvement with the whiskey.

"She purchased the Five Star whiskey (Dickinson) consumed," the detective repeated.

Following the testimony, English said candidly the state had met its burden for probable cause and he offered no additional argument.

Reader said there was evidence to suggest that Treanor furnished the alcohol that contributed to Dickinson's death and she sent the case to Circuit Court for trial.

No new court dates were immediately available Wednesday.