Schertz man charged with manslaughter after causing fatal July crash on Highway 281

SAN ANTONIO – A Schertz man whose truck was going more than twice the legal speed limit when it rear-ended another vehicle this summer, killing the driver, was arrested Wednesday on a manslaughter charge.

Alexander Castro, 37, was taken into custody around 8:30 a.m. and is being held in jail on an $80,000 bond.

Investigators said Castro’s Chevy Silverado truck was traveling 91 mph in a 45 mph construction zone on U.S. Highway 281 near TPC Parkway on July 22 when it rear-ended a vehicle stopped in standstill traffic.

The driver of that vehicle, 24-year-old Alexandra Shaye West Seybert, died of her injuries.

Traffic along that stretch of highway had been stopped because of a wrong-way crash north of this crash scene that had blocked both northbound lanes, Castro’s arrest warrant states.

SAPD investigators obtained a multitude of evidence indicating that Castro had been drinking alcohol at a driving range and had purchased alcohol at several North Side bars before the fatal wreck, according to the warrant.

Despite Castro showing signs of intoxication, investigators determined he was likely no longer over the legal limit to drive since the field sobriety tests occurred more than four hours after the crash.

After Castro told officers at the scene he was heading home at the time of the crash, they determined he likely believed he was driving on Interstate 35 North and not U.S. Highway 281 North.

A Bexar County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday, citing the pending case.

Castro is scheduled for a prehearing in 187th District Court on Dec. 27.

Find more KSAT Investigates coverage here