Man in fatal crash freed as blood-alcohol test clears him - Mansfield Middle school basketball star was killed in accident

A man arrested on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter in the death of a 13-year-old boy has been freed after no measurable level of alcohol was found in his body.

James W. Smith, 20, was released from the Mansfield Jail late Thursday.

He was arrested Wednesday after an early-morning crash that killed D'Marcus Roberson, a seventh-grader at Mansfield's Worley Middle School and a promising basketball player.

Fort Worth police Lt. Dean Sullivan said Mr. Smith was arrested after he admitted to having a few drinks earlier in the evening and officers smelled what they thought was the aroma of alcohol on him.

"Blood [test] results revealed no measurable concentration of alcoholic beverages in Smith's system," Lt. Sullivan said. "This just appeared to be a tragic traffic collision that resulted in the loss of life of a 13-year-old young man."

D'Marcus was in the back seat of Mr. Smith's car as Mr. Smith headed south on Miller Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. Mr. Smith crashed into a tree, splitting the car in half.

D'Marcus died at the scene; Mr. Smith had a broken arm; and two other passengers were hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Police said speed was the predominant factor in the crash, but it wasn't enough to keep Mr. Smith in custody.

"In Texas, a driver can't be arrested for speeding alone," Lt. Sullivan said.

But if investigators determine Mr. Smith was speeding excessively, authorities could reconsider charges.