A 27-year-old man has pleaded guilty to being high when he caused a head-on crash on an Iron Range highway that killed the other driver.
Thomas M. Gilley, of Marble, Minn., pleaded guilty Monday in St. Louis County District Court to one count of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the collision Nov. 12 on Hwy. 5 that killed Franklin D. Rice, 39, of Hibbing, Minn.
In exchange for the plea, a second criminal vehicular homicide count was dropped and the prosecution agreed to seek a sentence no longer than state guidelines recommend, said defense attorney James Perunovich.
Court records do not list a date for sentencing. In the meantime, Gilley remains jailed without bail.
Gilley has been convicted seven times in Minnesota for driving after his license was revoked, eight times for theft and three times for drug offenses, according to court records.
In 2014, he was civilly committed by an Isanti County judge as chemically dependent. He was discharged after six months of treatment, court records show.
At the time of the crash, Gilley did have a valid driver's license, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
After Gilley's SUV collided with Rice's car on Nov. 12, Gilley told a police officer he was unsure what happened "but ... when he opened his eyes a car was headed right at him," the charges read.
