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American Fork • A man charged with manslaughter for allegedly running a woman off the road to her death in an attempt to repossess her SUV in May is "seriously" considering a plea deal, prosecutors said Thursday.
Kenneth Lee Drew, 50, of American Fork, heard about the potential "last-minute" deal when he arrived for his preliminary hearing in 4th District Court on Thursday afternoon, said Deputy Utah County Attorney Jared Perkins.
Both Drew and the family of the woman who died, 35-year-old Ashleigh Best, agreed to postpone the hearing, to give them time to think the matter over and discuss terms with their lawyers.
Perkins said he, other lawyers and their witnesses "have spent every waking hour for the past several days" preparing for the hearing, but proposed a plea agreement Thursday because "you never know exactly what the result is going to be" when a case goes before the court.
Drew, an On Demand Repo employee, had gone to Best's Pleasant Grove home in the early hours of May 17 to repossess her vehicle, charging documents state.
After he tried to box Best's SUV in with his tow truck, surveillance video shows she maneuvered the vehicle around Drew's truck, according to charges, and Drew went "speeding" after her "in very close pursuit."
Police believe speeds through city streets reached 70-80 mph and allege in charges that Drew drove the tow truck "straight" on an S-curve "to pin Mrs. Best against the curb on the right."
The SUV jumped the curb and hit a tree — a collision that inflicted fatal injuries on Best, charges state. Police believe the collision occurred at full speed.
Manslaughter is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Perkins did not disclose the terms of the possible plea agreement Thursday, noting that "nothing is set in stone."
The court set a waiver hearing for Tuesday, and a new preliminary hearing date for Nov. 28.
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