A man accused of involuntary manslaughter after a fatal crash west of Emporia nearly two years ago has pleaded no contest relatively early in his court proceedings.
Dalton Johnson was supposed to be in court for a preliminary hearing Thursday. Instead, he pleaded to a single count of reckless involuntary vehicular manslaughter and a separate count of driving under the influence, first conviction.
Johnson was originally charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, as well as an alternate count of the same offense, after a crash in the 200 block of Road 180 — five miles west of Emporia — early on Veterans Day 2017. Johnson was driving a pickup with 28-year-old Trista Smith as a passenger. Johnson veered off the road and hit three trees before the truck came to a stop, according to the court affidavit.
Court documents also say Johnson’s blood alcohol content was 0.251 afterward, over three times the legal limit of 0.08.
Sentencing is at 9 am Dec. 17.
