Driver has an accident in the wrong direction, changes cause of action | News, sports, jobs

James Feeley

A Minot driver who seriously injured another driver while driving the wrong way on U.S. Highway 2 in southeast Minot on Jan. 31 pleaded guilty to all charges at a hearing Thursday.

James Eric Feeley, 19, appeared for the hearing before North Central District Judge Douglas Mattson, where he pleaded guilty to all three counts in the case: traffic collision, a Class C felony and two violations of possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana and illegal possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Feeley's plea was entered as an open plea without a plea agreement, meaning he could face the maximum sentence on all three counts if Mattson deems it appropriate. Feeley faces one to five years in prison for the Class C felony and a fine of up to $1,000 for both violations.

Feeley's attorney, Ashley Gulke, told the court that her client had completed various inpatient treatments leading up to the hearing and was ready to be taken into custody that day.

Mattson ensured that Feeley had an opportunity to review the information in the case and discussed his decision to change his plea with his attorney, which he said he did.

According to Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Ensrud, who entered probable cause into the docket, on the night of Jan. 31, Feeley was driving his 1996 Ford Explorer westbound in the eastbound lane of Highway 2 when he crashed head-on into a car Car Crashed Vehicle driven by Tyanna Weeks, 18, Minot. The crash caused Weeks numerous serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, a lung injury and a life-threatening brain injury.

As Feeley was removed from the vehicle, officers noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Feeley and found THC wax and sugar, as well as smoking and storage devices in the vehicle. Feeley admitted to officers that he had drunk 12 bottles of alcohol before getting behind the wheel and had smoked at home and while driving. A blood sample taken from Feeley showed his blood alcohol content was 0.149 after the accident.

Mattson scheduled Feeley's sentencing for Friday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m. to allow time for a presentence investigation to be completed.