Plea deal struck in SUV crash case

The Alaska Courthouse in Cordova. (Feb. 23, 2021) Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith/The Cordova Times

Following months of negotiation, a plea agreement has been reached in the case of a Cordova man accused of manslaughter, state attorney Glenn Shidner said.

Jesse James Jones, 51, of Cordova, was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence, and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree following an Oct. 8, 2019 SUV rollover into Eyak Lake in which Jones’s passenger, Andrey Plisko, died. However, these charges could be modified as part of a plea agreement. Proceedings were repeatedly delayed during 2020, first due to technical issues with audio evidence, and then due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At a Tuesday, Feb. 23 hearing, Jones scheduled a change of plea hearing for March 15. Jones is also scheduled to be sentenced on March 15.

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