Drunken driver who plowed into Minnesota restaurant patio, killing 2, pleads guilty to murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man who was driving drunk when he crashed into a patio at a popular Minnesota restaurant, killing two people and injuring nine others, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Wednesday.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, agreed to a sentence of 25 to 30 years. His sentencing is scheduled for July 28.

Prosecutors say Bailey already had five drunken driving convictions on his record but got his license back before he drove into the crowded patio at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park on Sept. 1. His blood-alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit.

Bailey pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder in the deaths of restaurant employee Kristina Folkerts and hospital worker Gabe Harvey, as well as three counts of criminal vehicular operation. He admitted in court that he knew he was drunk when he drove to the tavern. He tried to flee after striking another vehicle while trying to park, he acknowledged, but plowed into the patio instead.

The incident prompted calls for stricter drunken driving laws. The Minnesota Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously for a bill that includes stricter license revocation rules for people with multiple drunken driving convictions, and measures to encourage the use of ignition interlock devices. The bill now goes to a conference committee to resolve minor differences with a version that passed the House last week.