Chariton County man sentenced to 4 years in prison after taking plea deal
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Chariton County man was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday for the drowning death of his fiancee.
James Pleasant, 46, of Mendon, pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in January in connection with the death of his fiancee Alicia Meyer. She died on May 31, 2019, after Pleasant drove around road barriers on a flooded road.
Pleasant originally pleaded not guilty back in November.
His attorney, Robert Fleming, said he negotiated a plea deal with the Chariton County Prosecuting Attorney Clifford Thornburg. Fleming said Pleasant and Meyer were both negligent in the case because they both agreed to drive around the flood-barriers.
Thornburg recommended the maximum sentence for the charge, which is four years in prison. Pleasant has been in custody for the past eight months after the deadly incident.
State troopers say Pleasant's car sank into floodwaters on Highway 11 in Chariton County while Meyer was in the car. The crash report shows Meyer is primarily confined to a wheelchair and could not escape. Her body was recovered after a search on June 4.
Meyer's father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Pleasant in October. The father claims Pleasant's actions were negligent and led to his daughter's death.
