By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
STOCKTON — A Kansas man pleaded guilty this week to involuntary manslaughter in a DUI-related accident that killed a 16 year-old Plainville girl in April 2021.
Zebulun Thomas Cole, 22, Stockton, pleaded guilty in Rooks County District Court on Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol.
As a result of the plea agreement, Cole, who was 20 at the time of the accident, admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol on April 29, 2021, and causing a crash the resulted in the death of 16-year-old Carole Leanne Adamson of Plainville.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Cole was driving westbound at approximately 9:30 p.m. on April 29, 2021, when his pickup hit an SUV that was disabled on the side of Kansas 18 west of Plainville.
The collision caused the SUV to strike and kill Adamson, who was standing next to it.
An Iowa woman, Maranda Payton-Louise Kuhl, was also injured in the accident when the SUV hit a Dodge pickup she was standing next to.
An investigation into the accident determined Cole was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
According to court documents, Cole agreed to serve 41 months, or three years and five months, in prison. He will also be responsible for pay for Adamson’s funeral expenses and travel expenses for Kuhl to attend the preliminary hearing.
As a result of the plea agreement the prosecution agreed to dismiss a felony aggravated battery, DUI causing great bodily harm charge, and misdemeanor charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol, consumption of alcohol by a minor, and speeding.