Teenager pleads guilty in fatal crash

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- An Independence teen has pleaded guilty to five felony counts stemming from a drunk-driving crash that killed two people and injured three others.

Richard Scott Peden, 18, admitted he was drunk when he drove his car the wrong way on eastbound Interstate 70 and struck another car head-on. Justin W. Dyer, 21, of Oak Grove, and Amy A. Bigley, 21, of Kansas City, were killed.

The accident occurred about 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2002. Peden told police he had been drinking at a Halloween party that night. Officers found an empty wine bottle and several empty beer bottles in his car.

In court Friday, Peden pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of vehicular assault.

A sentencing hearing was scheduled for March 21.

The defense said it would seek probation or a 120-day call back sentence. That means the judge could sentence Peden to a prison term and then release him, under certain conditions, after 120 days.

Special Prosecutor Susan Elliott said she would argue against probation and seek prison time.