Man pleads guilty despite unlawful blood draw

After three years of appeals, a northern Idaho man has pleaded guilty in connection to a fatal car crash in 2013.

The Lewiston Tribune reports that Kyle Rios on Tuesday in Lewiston District Court pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor drunk driving.

Rios was charged with vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and drunk driving following the Dec. 1, 2013, crash that killed Paul W. Stuk of Peck.

A blood draw found that Rios had a blood alcohol content of 0.263 percent, three times the legal limit but appeals courts ruled that the police-ordered draw was unlawful because officers did not have a warrant.

Prosecutors say they had available evidence from an additional blood draw taken as part of Rios’ medical evaluation which may have influenced the plea agreement.

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Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com