The Canadian Press

Alberta Crown drops charge against bar in alcohol poisoning death

Wed May 7, 2:24 PM

By The Canadian Press

EDMONTON - The Alberta Crown has dropped a charge against a bar of over-serving a young woman who later died of alcohol poisoning.

Tammy Kobylka, 22, was pronounced dead at her home in Calmar south of Edmonton on Oct. 7. Tests showed her blood-alcohol level was five times over the legal limit for driving. RCMP charged Skip's Bar of Calmar with one count under Alberta's Gaming and Liquor Act.

"The charge was withdrawn based on a legal assessment by the Crown," Alberta Justice spokesman David Dear said Wednesday.

He said he couldn't provide further details.

The owner of Skip's Bar was to have appeared in Leduc provincial court Wednesday.

A separate criminal investigation by the RCMP into Kobylka's death is ongoing. Details of that probe have not been released.

Lynn Kobylka, Tammy's mother, said at the time of her daughter's death that the young woman and two men were in Skip's Bar from 12:30 a.m. until the bar closed an hour and a half later.

They then returned to Tammy's home. Kobylka said she has been told the two men left after her daughter began to fall asleep on a couch.

Much later a third man who was in the home - but had not been at the bar - woke up, noticed Tammy wasn't breathing and called 911.

Kobylka described her daughter as a lively but responsible young woman who worked hard and earned enough from two jobs to buy a home.

She said her daughter didn't drink every day but was a binge drinker who grew up around alcohol and liked to blow off steam once in a while.

Kobylka, 48, also said at the time that she had warned Tammy about binge drinking and wasn't sure where she had consumed all of the alcohol that led to her death.

Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person drinks a lot very quickly, overwhelming the body's ability to protect itself by passing out or vomiting.

Experts say conditions can vary depending on the gender of the drinker, whether the person has a tolerance for alcohol or whether he or she is a binge drinker.

The body literally shuts down, sometimes to the point where the drinker stops breathing and dies.

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