The Goleta man who struck and killed a 91-year-old pedestrian in Santa Barbara last year has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, and will be sentenced to prison time in August, according to court records.
Nicholas Burnell Hart, 27, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.24 percent or above; driving with a suspended license; and hit and run resulting in death or injury.
Hart killed George Theodore “Ted” Johnson, a resident of the Casa Dorinda retirement community who was evacuated with his wife, Shirley, due to the Montecito debris flows at the time of the collision.
Johnson was a pioneer in the ski industry and a founder of the Snowbird ski resort in Utah.
He was staying at the La Quinta motel at State and Arrellaga streets when he was struck while walking in a crosswalk a block away, at State and Micheltorena streets, at about 7:30 p.m.on Jan. 23, 2018.
Johnson died of his injuries a week later, and authorities charged Hart with murder in addition to DUI-related counts.
This is the third driving-under-the-influence conviction for Hart, who has Santa Barbara cases from 2015 and 2016.
He had a suspended license at the time of the collision from one of those cases, and was on probation at the time, according to court documents.
The May 13 plea agreement says Hart faces up to 13 years and six months in state prison, and waives all jail time credits accrued before Feb. 1 of this year.
Hart is being held in Santa Barbara Main Jail custody with no bail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
A statement in the plea agreement has Hart admitting he drove with a license that was suspended due to previous DUI convictions, and hit and killed Johnson while the man was crossing the street in a crosswalk.
“After knowing I struck another person and likely caused serious injury or death, I willfully failed to stop at the scene of the incident and render reasonable aid to Mr. Johnson,” the statement said.
Officers searching Hart’s car found a 1.75-liter bottle of Vitali vodka in the center console that was half full because Hart was drinking it before driving the night of Jan. 23, according to the statement.
Hart waived some jail time credits to “benefit from the plea bargain” and avoid a possible life sentence, the statement added.
The criminal case is being prosecuted by Wesley Meyer and Benjamin Ladinig from the District Attorney’s Office, while Hart is represented by attorney Jenny Andrews.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.