California IN BRIEF : MERCED : Drop Manslaughter Charge, D.A. Asks

A prosecutor requested dismissal of a manslaughter charge against the man accused in the hit-and-run death of kidnap victim Steven Stayner. Antonio Loera, 28, still faces a charge of felony hit-and-run driving to which he is expected to plead no contest at a hearing on Dec. 14, Merced County Dist. Atty. Frank Dougherty said. The decision to dismiss the manslaughter charge was based on evidence that a defective carburetor and loose throttle caused the Sept. 16 accident, Dougherty said. Loera had testified that the car motor died when he pulled out of a driveway. Stayner, who gained prominence when he returned to Merced seven years after being kidnaped by a drifter, was killed when he hit the car with his motorcycle. Loera fled to Mexico after the accident, but later returned to Merced voluntarily. Dougherty said that if Loera had remained at the scene, he would not have faced any charges.

From Times staff and wire reports