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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A Sioux Falls man accused of causing a fatal traffic crash while leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and could spend decades in prison.
• Kyle Jones, 20, reached a plea deal with prosecutors that would cap his prison time at 50 years if a judge agrees. He also could be ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to victims. He pleaded guilty to aggravated eluding, which could carry another two years of suspended time.
• A sentencing hearing was not immediately set on Tuesday after Jones quietly replied "guilty" when Judge Patricia Riepel asked him whether he was prepared to give up his right to a trial.
• Authorities said Jones was driving a stolen Suburban on March 1, 2012, when he ran head-on into a van at an intersection, killing a father of three.
• A police supervisor had called off the pursuit of the Suburban just as the collision occurred because of unsafe speeds. Authorities said speeds during the chase reached 80 mph.
• The driver of the van, Jade Thie, 33, died at the scene. Thie and his passenger, Derek Guindon, both journeyman electricians, were a half mile from the home office of their employer, Midwestern Mechanical, after spending a week at an out-of-state job site.
• Guindon, Jones and Jones' sister, who was a passenger in the Suburban, suffered serious injuries in the wreck.
• Jones was indicted on alternate counts of first- and second-degree manslaughter, vehicular battery, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated eluding and an alcohol violation.
• Prosecutor Ryan Sage said the resolution of the case through the plea agreement will help Thie's family.
• "They are obviously looking forward to closure and to some extent are relieved they aren't going to have to go through a trial and hear even more (details)," he said.
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