Plea deal reached in fatal crash, lawyer says

An attorney Thursday said a plea agreement has been reached for a man accused of causing a deadly accident while fleeing a state trooper.

The deal is expected to be formalized Aug. 27 in District Judge Richard Gurley’s courtroom.

John Burkey, the deputy public defender who represents Logan Lage, told Gurley the delay in entering the plea Thursday was necessary because the Colorado Court of Appeals still has jurisdiction in the case.

Mesa County prosecutors haven’t disclosed specific terms of the deal, but have said Lage will be asked to plead guilty to at least one charge stemming from the death of Lileigh Lehnen.

Lage, 25, is accused of driving a Jeep head-on into a vehicle driven by then-26-year-old Shea Lehnen on Nov. 6, 2007. She was 8 1/2 months pregnant at the time. Her daughter, Lileigh, was delivered via emergency Cesarean section but died within hours.

The Colorado Court of Appeals in May upheld a lower court judge’s decision to dismiss a murder charge filed by the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office.

Lage is still charged with child abuse resulting in death, vehicular eluding, careless driving causing death and vehicular assault while driving under the influence.

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