No charges to be filed in drinking death of former MSU student

(AP) - Prosecutors in Mankato won't file charges in the death of a former Minnesota State University student who died after becoming heavily intoxicated on the night of her 21st birthday.

Amanda Jax had a blood alcohol level of nearly 0.46 early the morning after her October 29th birthday.

But Blue Earth County prosecutor Ross Arneson said after an investigation he didn't believe he could convince a jury that the bartender at Sidelines Bar and Grill would have known Jax was "obviously intoxicated" before he served her.

"An overview of the facts in this case may lead a casual observer to conclude that one or more persons in the Sidelines Bar should have recognized Ms. Jax was being obviously intoxicated and yet still furnished Ms. Jax with alcoholic beverages," Arneson wrote in a news release. "However, the State cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any particular person was responsible for violating the statute."

The Mankato city attorney's office is still considering whether to take action against the bar's liquor license. Jax's mother has also said she is considering a lawsuit.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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