Driver who killed Oklahoma trooper pleads guilty in the case

WEWOKA, Okla. (AP) – A Cushing man who struck two Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers while driving on Interstate 40 has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

The Oklahoman reports that 30-year-old Steven Wayne Clark pleaded guilty Thursday in Seminole County District Court. He faces up to four years in prison when sentenced on December 8th.

Investigators say Clark was distracted by his cellphone when he struck and killed Trooper Nicholas Dees and injured Trooper Keith Burch while they worked at the scene of an accident on I-40 on January 31st.

A law banning texting while driving in Oklahoma was passed during the legislative session following the death of the trooper and is named for both Dees and Burch.

Clark apologized in February after being charged and said didn’t remember what happened.