Man plans to plead guilty in crash that killed 2

Published 10:02 am Monday, December 8, 2014

HILLSBORO, N.D. — A Minnesota man plans to plead guilty to vehicular homicide in the traffic deaths of two sisters in eastern North Dakota.

James Yahnke of Nielsville is accused of being drunk, driving 94 mph on a rough section of a Traill County road north of Hillsboro in May and losing control of the car.

Authorities said Yahnke and the two women were thrown from the vehicle. Twenty-three-year-old Mercedes Rowley, of Sharon, and 21-year-old Teja Beyer, of Red Lake Falls, died at the scene. Yahnke was hurt and flown to a Fargo hospital for treatment.

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Defense attorney Joel Arnason said that lawyers are close to working out a deal. Prosecutor Stuart Larson declined to comment.