James Feeley

A Minot driver who seriously injured another driver while goingthe wrong way on U.S. highway 2 on the southeast side of Minot on Jan. 31 entered a change of plea to guilty on all charges at a hearing Thursday.

James Eric Feeley, 19, appeared before North Central District Judge Douglas Mattson for the hearing, where he plead guilty to all three counts in the case: criminal vehicular injury, a Class C felony, and two infractions for possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Feeley’s plea was entered as an open plea without a plea agreement, meaning he could face the maximum sentence for all three counts should Mattson deem it appropriate. Feeley faces between one to five years for the Class C felony, and up to $1,000 in fines for both infractions.

Feeley’s attorney Ashley Gulke told the court that her client had completed various inpatient treatment leading up to the hearing, and was ready to be taken into custody that day.

Mattson ensured Feeley had a chance to review the information in the case, and discussed his decision to change his plea with his attorney, which he indicated he had.

According to Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Ensrud, who read the probable cause for the charges into the record, Feeley was driving his 1996 Ford Explorer westbound in the eastbound lane of Highway 2 the night of Jan. 31, when he crashed head-on into a vehicle being driven by Tyanna Weeks, 18, Minot. The crash caused numerous serious injuries to Weeks, including multiple broken bones, a punctured lung and a life- threatening brain injury.

When Feeley was removed from the vehicle, responding officers observed the smell of alcohol coming from Feeley, and found THC wax and sugars along with smoking and storage devices in the vehicle. Feeley admitted to officers that he had been drinking 12 bottles of liquor before getting behind the wheel, and had smoked at home and while driving. A blood sample collected from Feeley showed his blood alcohol content after the crash was .149.

Mattson scheduled Feeley’s sentencing for 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, to allow time for the completion of a presentence investigation.