A hearing in Butler County juvenile court is set next week for a 17-year-old boy accused of crashing an all-terrain vehicle in Fairview Township and killing a friend while allegedly driving drunk.

The pre-adjudication conference for the teen was set after state police Friday charged him with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence stemming from the Feb. 27 fatality.

However, prosecutors have not ruled out the possibility that he could still be tried as an adult. He is not being named here because his case is in juvenile court at this time.

Police said the boy’s blood-alcohol level was at least four times the legal limit for teen drivers when he lost control of his ATV between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. at Butternut and Spruce roads.

The rollover wreck killed 16-year-old Briggs R. Buck of Chicora, who was on the back of the vehicle.

Buck died at the scene of severe head injuries. The driver, who also was 16 at the time, suffered only minor injuries.

Investigators allege that after the crash, the teen drove home and went to bed without notifying authorities about what happened.

Police on Nov. 25 arrested the boy’s uncle, Steven Ray Rider Jr., 33, of Parker Township, on involuntary manslaughter and other charges in connection with the same wreck.

Rider is accused of providing both boys with beer and liquor that night.

At the teen’s pre-adjudication conference on Dec. 16, it will be decided whether or not the teen will enter a guilty plea or fight the charges.

The juvenile court hearing is similar to a formal arraignment in adult court.

The charge of vehicular homicide while driving drunk is the lone felony filed against the boy. He also faces several misdemeanor and summary charges.

The top charge, a second-degree felony under state law, is punishable in the adult court system by three to 10 years in prison. If his case is adjudicated in the juvenile court system, the teen can be detained until he turns 21.

What court eventually will handle the case is not certain.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger on Monday said he is still “considering” filing a motion that could transfer the charges to adult court.

“I still need more information to determine if this kid is amenable to treatment in the juvenile court system,” Goldinger said.

He noted that juvenile court is typically seen as more lenient and more focused on rehabilitation than the adult system.

The teen’s attorney, Jack Haller, did not return a telephone call Monday.

The teen is at his house.

Meanwhile, Rider is scheduled to appear Jan. 5 for his preliminary hearing before District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora.

In addition to involuntary manslaughter, he is charged with two counts each of child endangerment, reckless endangerment and providing alcohol to minors, all misdemeanors.

Rider is free on $250,000 bail.