Ryan Barbour, 36, of Homewood was arrested Wednesday and charged in the March 22 three-car crash that killed 14-year-old Kyran Smith, the Homewood Police Department announced.
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Barbour was charged with aggravated driving under the influence resulting in the death of another and reckless homicide, both felonies, as well as speeding and improper lane use, police said.
The crash took place at 183rd Street and Governors Highway. Smith was a passenger in one of two cars that were stopped at Governors Highway facing 183rd Street when another car, being driven south on Governors Highway, veered off the roadway and struck the two vehicles, police said.
Prosecutors said video evidence showed Barbour “driving at an extremely high rate of speed southbound on Governors Highway, veering out of his lane, crossing into oncoming traffic, leaving the roadway, and becoming airborne.”
Barbour left the scene, but was found by officers about a block away, prosecutors said.
Paramedics observed Barbour was slurring his speech and had unsteady balance, and his blood-alcohol content was determined at the hospital to be 0.096%, according to prosecutors. The legal limit is 0.08%.
Barbour had a previous court case resulting from a 2024 arrest in Homewood where he was charged with crimes including driving under the influence, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to a speeding charge in that case and was sentenced to probation, which he served, according to court records.
Barbour also had at least one prior DUI case out of North Carolina in 2015, according to prosecutors.
No lawyer was listed as representing Barbour in the court computer. The lawyer who represented Barbour in his 2024 case said that he had not been contacted about representing Barbour on the new charges.
Barbour had an initial appearance Thursday, where he was ordered held in custody by Judge Luciano Panici, according to court documents. His next court date is April 15.