A Lompoc man pleaded guilty in Santa Barbara County Superior Court to criminal charges for driving under the influence of marijuana and causing the fiery crash that killed two Lompoc women in 2022.

Kyle Nelson, 24, changed his plea to guilty for two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated during a court appearance Tuesday and was ordered to return to court in three months for his sentencing hearing.

The charges stem from an early morning Oct. 28, 2022, crash on Highway 1 about a mile west of Highway 101 in Gaviota.

The occupants of a Chevy Malibu — Jenna Causby, 19, and Dorothy Ann Guthrie, 19, both of Lompoc — were declared dead at the scene.

Nelson, who reportedly was en route to his job in Goleta, was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries.

“The defendant was under the influence of marijuana when he attempted to overtake slower traffic and wantonly veered into oncoming traffic,” according to law enforcement officers.

On Tuesday, he changed his plea in the case after the preliminary hearing had been rescheduled several times.

He is scheduled to be sentenced to 12 years in state prison during an April 2 hearing before Judge Jean Dandona.

“This is yet another tragic reminder of the dangers of being under the influence of any mind-altering substance and getting behind the wheel of an automobile,” District Attorney John Savrnoch said. “This one reckless and careless act has ruined the lives of countless people in our community who loved and cared about Ms. Causby and Ms. Guthrie.”

Savrnoch also recognized the work of California Highway Patrol personnel for “a solid investigation,” and the prosecution team led by Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod plus his colleagues Michelle Mossembekker and Lauren Franco.

That wasn’t the only criminal case for Nelson.

A couple of weeks before the double-fatal crash, Nelson had accepted a plea deal in another case stemming from his arrest in March 2021.

In that case, he agreed to plead guilty to annoying or molesting a boy and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. 

He was expected to be sentenced to three years in state prison plus required to register as a sex offender. 

The judge had warned Nelson that the agreement could be set aside if he committed crimes while awaiting sentencing in that case. 

After Nelson’s arrest for the double-fatal crash, prosecutors persuaded the judge to reject the plea deal. 

Nelson initially had been charged with five felony counts plus special allegations or sentencing enhancements related to the accusations.

The criminal complaint alleged that the incident occurred in February 2020 and involved a 14-year-old boy. 

Under the resolution, Nelson pleaded guilty to annoying or molesting a child with the sentence to run concurrently with manslaughter charges.

However, a term of the sentencing requires Nelson to register as a sex offender under California’s Megan’s Law. 

Nelson remains in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail.