Fort Thompson Man Pleads Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter

PIERRE, SD – A Fort Thompson man accused of driving drunk and killing a pedestrian has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Authorities say 20-year-old Austin Abernathy did not stop after striking 22-year-old Cole St. John late last year on a Fort Thompson road, and St. John died of his injuries.  Abernathy faces up to eight years in prison when he is sentenced next Feb. 6.

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