This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Layton man accused of running over and killing a small child resolved his criminal case on Thursday.
Aaron Joe Burlison, 26, had vision problems and an invalid driver license at the time of the July 27, 2015 crash that killed 18-month-old Lexie Smith, according to court records.
On Thursday, he pleaded guilty in 2nd District Court to second-degree felony manslaughter. A misdemeanor drug charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal, according to court records. Burlison faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 30.
Burlison is accused of hitting the girl while driving his Toyota pickup in a South Ogden apartment complex parking lot , according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The child was standing in front of the Falls Apartment Complex main office when Burlison allegedly drove toward her, according to the affidavit.
The girl ran away from the truck, but was struck by Burlison's vehicle as he turned left in an attempt to park in a stall for the handicapped, police allege.
The girl was taken to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Burlison allegedly told police that he saw the girl "running near the bushes" and didn't see her when he attempted to park his car.
He later told police officers that "he wasn't supposed to be driving" because his license was invalid due to medical reasons. Officers discovered a number of medical conditions that made it unsafe for him to drive, including a closed left eye due to a failed cornea transplant, glaucoma in both eyes and neuropathy in his legs, knees and feet. He also has Type 1 diabetes "and has problems regulating his blood sugar," police wrote in the arrest affidavit.