An Ithaca teenager has pleaded guilty in connection with a fatal crash that claimed the life of a Trumansburg teen last fall in Schuyler County.
According to the Schuyler County District Attorney’s Office, 18-year-old Michael Blake Jr. pleaded guilty in Schuyler County Court to Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony, and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, a misdemeanor.
During his plea, Blake admitted to consuming a combination of alcohol and drugs before operating a motor vehicle. Prosecutors said his impaired driving resulted in a collision that caused the death of a passenger in his vehicle.
The crash happened on September 29 at approximately 11:45 a.m. on County Road 1 in Hector. The Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to find a 2010 Ford Fusion that had left the roadway after failing to negotiate a curve and struck several trees.
The passenger, 17-year-old Marcus Knight of Trumansburg, was pronounced dead at the scene. Blake, who was 18 at the time and from Ithaca, was airlifted to Upstate Medical University Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Blake is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30.
The case is being prosecuted by Schuyler County District Attorney Jeremy Hourihan. The investigation was conducted by the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division in conjunction with the New York State Police.
