Man charged in fatal car accident declines plea agreement
A St. Paul man charged with fatally hitting a Harding High School student with his SUV has refused an agreement to plead guilty for a shorter sentence.
Carlos Viveros-Colorado's lawyer says he did not accept a plea deal because he is not guilty of the gross negligence required to qualify for the charge of criminal vehicular homicide.
Attorney Alberto Miera said that before the accident that killed 16-year-old Clarisse Grime in July, Viveros-Colorado had a health emergency that caused his leg and shoulder to go numb.
Miera confirmed that Viveros-Colorado, 50, of St. Paul, faces deportation if convicted.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office says Viveros-Colorado was driving too fast and was negligent. A spokesman for the office says it is not unusual for prosecutors to offer plea deals.
Viveros-Colorado is also charged with a count of criminal vehicular operation for striking Grime's friend, who suffered a bruised hip. Viveros-Colorado's trial before a judge begins Nov. 5.
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