It has been reported that harness-racing driver Angus Lake, the man that was at the wheel of the truck which struck and killed Michelle Eustis in the Balmoral Park backstretch during the early-morning hours of April 11, 2011, has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the incident
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According to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times, Lake, 42, pleaded guilty to 'aggravated driving while under the influence of alcohol.' The article states that Lake pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday, January 9, roughly 10 minutes before his trial in regard to the incident was set to get underway.
During the early-morning hours of April 11, 2011, Eustis, 25, and a friend, Heather France, 21, decided to go for a horseback ride in the backstretch. It was during this ride when Lake, who had been drinking in the backstretch, came up behind them in his truck.
According to the article, Lake ended up hitting the brakes on his vehicle hard, which caused it to spin. The truck hit the horse Eustis and France were riding. Both were ejected from the horse. Eustis suffered head trauma from the incident and passed away. France suffered severe damage to her left leg, which required surgery. The county medical examiner's office came to the conclusion that the death was accidental.
The report states that Lake's blood-alcohol level was 0.147 after the incident. Lake is scheduled to face sentencing for the charge on March 15, 2012. He faces up to 14 years in prison.
From 9,288 career races, Lake has driven his mounts to 1,190 wins and over $2.6-million in purse earnings.
(With files from the Chicago Sun-Times)
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