PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The driver charged with manslaughter and drunken driving in a crash in Acadia National Park that killed three people has asked for a plea hearing in a court filing.
A jury trial for Praneeth Manubolu had been scheduled to begin next month, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The filing Thursday requesting a plea hearing does not make clear whether Manubolu will enter a guilty plea or has reached a deal with prosecutors, the newspaper reported. The case has been in U.S. District Court in Bangor because the park is on federal land.
The U.S. attorney’s office did not immediately return a call asking for information about a potential plea. An attorney for Manubolu, Walt McKee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the newspaper Friday.
Manubolu was the only survivor of the crash on Aug. 31, 2019, which killed three people. The group visiting from New York and New Jersey had been drinking in Bar Harbor before returning to their campground.
Manubolu has been charged with three counts of manslaughter, as well as drunken driving and unsafe operation. He is not in custody and has been on supervised release waiting trial, the newspaper reported.
The three passengers killed in the crash were Lenny Fuchs, 36, Laura Leong, 30, and Zeeshan Mohammed, 27, all of New York City.
An appeals court ruled in September that the results of a blood test that found Manubolu’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit were admissible in the case. Manubolu’s attorney had argued that police should have sought a warrant for the blood draw taken at a hospital shortly after the crash.
