PORT ANGELES — Gene S. Mensik, who is charged with killing a Sequim pedestrian while driving drunk in April, is expected to change his plea to guilty June 14.
Mensik’s attorney, Penny Jackson, announced during a hearing in Clallam County Superior Court on Friday that the 51-year-old man will accept a plea offer from the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The offer would commit him to 50 months in prison and require him to receive alcohol treatment.
In return, prosecutors would not seek an enhanced sentence.
Mensik, a Sequim resident, is charged with vehicular homicide and hit-and-run.
Sequim police said he hit Scott G. Franklin with his Jeep Wrangler on April 21 while Franklin walked on the sidewalk at the 600 block of East Washington Street.
Police arrested Mensik about 10 blocks away.
Franklin, 50, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died two days later after being taken off life support.
Police said it appeared Mensik struck Franklin while attempting to get back on the road, driving on the sidewalk for about 30 to 50 feet.
A portable breath tester registered Mensik’s blood-alcohol level at 0.147 percent about 30 minutes after the hit-and-run, according to court documents. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
Mensik pleaded not guilty at his arraignment May 6. An eight-day trial was set then for June 27.
If convicted during a trial, Mensik could face between 36 and 48 months in prison for vehicular homicide and 41 to 59 months for hit-and-run.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
