The man accused of killing bartender Larry Thomas while driving drunk was cleared of the charge on a legal technicality this afternoon.

Prosecutors had alleged that Roger Bowen’s van crossed into the lane Mr. Thomas was riding his motorcycle in and hit him.

Mr. Thomas, a 34-year-old father of two young children, died at the scene of the collision in Somerset in the early hours of April 26, 2008.

Mr. Bowen, a 26-year-old air conditioning mechanic from Sandys, denied causing death by driving with excess alcohol and driving with excess alcohol.

The prosecution had not yet finished its case. However, Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons heard legal arguments today in the absence of the jury about a technical legal issue. This related to a breath-test done on Mr. Bowen after his arrest, and resulted in her directing the jury to formally find him not guilty of the charges he faced late this afternoon.

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story.