Trial halted after plea agreement is made

RUSSELL -- The trial of a Russell man for involuntary manslaughter was halted Wednesday when a plea agreement was reached.

Tracy J. Driscoll, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and one count of failure to remain at the scene of an accident. He will face a maximum sentence of 12 months in custody for vehicular homicide. Leaving the scene of an accident carries a five- to seven-month sentence. Ashley Anstaett, spokeswoman for the Kansas Attorney General's Office, said attorneys will request that the two sentences be served consecutively, for a total potential sentence of 19 months to be served in county jail.

His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 28.

The maximum sentence he would have faced if found guilty by the jury of involuntary manslaughter is two years and 10 months, Anstaett said.

The trial started Monday with jury selection, and there was a day of testimony on Tuesday.

Driscoll was driving a pickup truck that went into a ditch and rolled numerous times on Oct. 21, 2007. Rebecca J. Trible, 21, a former Russell resident, was killed in the crash, which occurred on a county road half a mile southwest of the Russell city limits.

Driscoll was accused of leaving the scene of the crash. He was taken into custody at Hays Medical Center, where he was being treated for injuries he suffered in the crash.

Anstaett said Trible's family was consulted and supported the plea agreement.

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