by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A St. Cloud man entered an Alford plea in court earlier this week stemming from an incident in which a vehicle he was driving last summer in Sauk Rapids collided with another vehicle, killing two of its occupants.
Tom Souvannaphong, 23, entered the plea in regard to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide while he was driving impaired by alcohol. An Alford plea is one in which the defendant does not confess guilt but agrees he would likely be convicted if all evidence was presented in a trial.
Souvannaphong could receive a prison sentence of up to seven years for the charges. He could also be fined at the time of his sentencing, slated for April 14.
On Aug. 8, 2015, Souvannaphong was driving a vehicle across the Sauk Rapids bridge at a high rate of speed when he went through a red light and slammed into a vehicle driven by Kevin Davey of Hibbing. Davey, 51, and his wife, Kathy, 45, were killed in the accident. A passenger was injured and later treated and released. The Daveys had come to the area from Hibbing to enjoy stock-car races. They were on their way home at the time of the crash.
Kevin and Kathy Davey of Hibbing were the victims of a car crash last summer in Sauk Rapids. They died after a vehicle driven by Tom Souvannaphong of St. Cloud sped through a red light and smashed into them.
Tom Souvannaphong
