A box truck driver accused of killing five Las Vegas bicyclists pleaded guilty Wednesday, April 21, to two counts of DUI, court records show.
Jordan Barson entered his plea on two counts of DUI resulting in death and is scheduled to be sentenced in June, when he faces up to 40 years behind bars, records show.
Authorities have said Barson, 45, was high on methamphetamine when he plowed into a group of bicyclists Dec. 10 in Clark County, killing five of them.
He is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.
Barson had nine times the amount of methamphetamine in his system needed to be legally considered impaired at the time of the crash on U.S. Highway 95 near Searchlight, according to police and court reports.
He faced five counts of DUI resulting in death, two counts of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and seven counts of reckless driving, court records show.
Killed in the crash were Las Vegas bicyclists Erin Michelle Ray, 39; Gerrard Suarez Nieva, 41; Michael Todd Murray, 57; Aksoy Ahmet, 48; and Tom Trauger, 57. Four others were injured.
The bicyclists were with a group of about 20 who set out from Henderson that morning to complete the roughly 130-mile Nipton Loop.
All of the bicyclists who were killed or injured were seeking cover from the wind and riding behind the group’s safety escort vehicle when the box truck Barson was driving crashed into them, according to a Nevada Highway Patrol report.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.