Convicted drunken driver to speak at event

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Jason Barber, a convicted drunken driver, will speak Oct. 9 at the Show Me Center as part of Alcohol Awareness Week at Southeast Missouri State University. The event, scheduled for 7 p.m., is open to the public. In 1991, Barber was racing friends and driving drunk. He crashed his car, killing a passenger in the vehicle. He was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served three and a half years in prison before being released in 1995. He's been sober ever since. For the past three years, the California man has provided drug and alcohol counseling to high school students. Barber currently is writing a book about overcoming his addiction to alcohol. In the past six years, Barber has spoken to nearly half a million teenagers and young adults at various presentations across the country.

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