A Southern California man accused in the traffic death of a woman on a scenic Utah road was bound over Friday to stand trial on automobile homicide charges, a 6th Circuit Court clerk said.

Judge David Mower ruled there was probable cause to proceed with prosecution of Michael Sterger, Cypress, Calif., in the July 23 death of Michelle Eckroth, 26, Huntington Beach, Calif.District Court arraignment on accusations of auto homicide and misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia was set for Dec. 7.

Sterger was driving on the Burr Trail, a 66-mile dirt road that runs through Capitol Reef National Park and other scenic southern Utah desert areas, when the vehicle went off the road and crashed into an embankment and a rock, officials said. Eckroth, a passenger, suffered fatal injuries.

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The complaint alleged Sterger had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of .08 percent and was "incapable of safely operating the vehicle and caused the death of" Eckroth.

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