One man died and another was injured after a two-vehicle crash on April 17, 2017, along East 15th Street.

A 24-year-old Lawrence man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and DUI in connection with an April wreck that killed a Eudora man.

Jordan L. White is charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and one count of DUI, a misdemeanor, in connection with the fatal crash, according to charges filed in Douglas County District Court. Should White not be convicted of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors also filed alternative charges of DUI and speeding — for allegedly traveling 76 mph in a 30 mph zone — according to the charging document.

White was charged July 7, arrested Friday and made his first appearance in court on Monday, when his bond was set at $5,000, according to court records. As of Tuesday morning, he had been released from jail, according to Douglas County Sheriff’s Office records.

Jordan L. White

The wreck happened about 10:40 p.m. April 17 in the 1200 block of East 15th Street, just east of Haskell Avenue.

White was driving east in a 2017 Nissan when he hit a 1999 Ford Ranger driven by Stephen Douglass, 49, of Eudora, who was leaving the East Lawrence Recreation Center, according to information previously shared by Lawrence police.

When emergency responders arrived, they found Douglass unconscious and the engine of White’s car on fire. Responders removed Douglass from the vehicle but were unable to revive him.

Witnesses reported seeing White, who was conscious after the crash, taken to a nearby lot and being placed into a helicopter ambulance at the scene.

Douglass’ brother Nathan Douglass, of Waco, Texas, said he does not think the involuntary manslaughter charge is harsh enough, based on the accompanying allegations of DUI and excessive speed.

“There’s nothing involuntary about it,” Nathan Douglass said. “The guy chose to drink, chose to drive, chose to drive 76 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone … He had no regard for anybody’s safety.”

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said the involuntary manslaughter statute controlled his office’s charging decision. According to the statute, involuntary manslaughter committed while DUI is the most severe, while involuntary manslaughter under other circumstances is considered a lower-severity felony.

“It is what is required by the statute,” Branson said, in an email.

Branson noted that his office had asked for a higher bond — $50,000 — for White. A conviction of involuntary manslaughter while DUI carries a presumption of imprisonment, Branson said.

Nicholas David, White’s appointed attorney, declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

White’s next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Stephen Douglass

Right before the wreck, Stephen Douglass had been at the rec center using the public computer to talk with friends on Facebook, including a Eudora man whose house he was doing construction work on, his brother said. He’d posted online up until shortly before pulling out of the rec center and being hit, his brother said.

Stephen Douglass, who grew up in Lawrence and Eudora, was doing construction and remodeling work at the time of the crash, his brother said.

Douglass was very social and outgoing, his brother said. He loved nature and being outdoors, singing and playing the guitar, and his three cats — especially a black and white one named Tornado.

“He really cared for people,” Nathan Douglass said of his brother. “He really had a huge impact on a lot of people in Lawrence, a lot of people in Eudora.”