Brenden Banta makes his first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court last April.
A Kalama man charged in April after a collision that seriously injured a teenage passenger pleaded guilty Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court to vehicular assault.
Brenden K. Banta, 20, was arrested April 21 after a collision at milepost 59 of Interstate 5, about 17 miles south of Chehalis.
Banta, who was driving a 2011 Kia Soul, allegedly rear-ended a semi truck. A 17-year-old passenger had a “large gash in his forehead that exposed his skull,” according to court documents.
Banta was also injured. Both he and his passenger were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital.
Washington State Patrol troopers reported finding open containers of alcohol in the vehicle and a bong with burned marijuana in the vehicle’s console.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said Thursday that Banta’s blood-alcohol level was confirmed to be .098 after the crash, above the legal limit of .08.
Banta was out of custody Thursday when he pleaded guilty. He faces a standard sentence of three to nine months, given his lack of criminal history.
His sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 4.
