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Monticello • A Moab teen involved in a crash that caused the death of two of his peers in March was ordered to face charges in adult court, and one of his lawyers said Friday that he will plead guilty.

Gage Colton Moore waived his right to a preliminary hearing in 7th District Juvenile Court and agreed to have his case moved to the adult system.

By waiving the hearing, Moore's lawyers say their client decided to "accept responsibility for this horrible accident" and save affected families the emotional trauma of going through several different court proceedings. One such attorney, Tara Issacson, said Moore plans to plead guilty to four charges against him: two second-degree felony counts of automobile homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment, class A misdemeanors. Moore will enter the pleas on Aug. 14, during his first appearance in adult court, Isaacson said.

Moore turned 18 four days after the March 5 accident, which occurred in the early morning hours after Grand County High School's junior prom. Moore was driving a sedan when he lost control on a curve on the La Sal Mountain Loop Road outside of Moab, ejecting three passengers and claiming the lives of Taylor Bryant, 14, and Connor Denney, 16.

Two other passengers, a 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, were critically injured in the crash.

"Rather than having these families go through multiple probable cause hearings, Mr. Moore thinks the best thing for all concerned is accepting responsibility for these actions in adult court," defense attorney Walter Bugden said Friday.

Bugden spoke before a full courtroom, with families of the deceased embracing and comforting each other throughout the proceedings.

A handful of Bryant's friends and relatives wore matching red T-shirts emblazoned with her image, depicting their deceased loved one wearing a crown of leaves.

Moore was silent and stoic throughout the hearing. Bugden told The Salt Lake Tribune outside of court that this experience has been "terribly emotional" for all affected, including his client.

"It's a very significant decision by Gage to agree to plead in the adult court. He did that hoping that this would help everyone move on," Bugden said. "It's been terribly emotional for everyone, and certainly for Gage."

San Juan County Attorney Kendall Laws agreed that the teen should be prosecuted as an adult.

"It gets Gage Moore into the adult system, where he belongs, for what happened," he said of Friday's ruling.

In April, Moore was charged in juvenile court with two counts of second-degree felony automobile homicide, two counts of third-degree felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and one count each of class B misdemeanor reckless driving and unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor.

Moore also was charged with one count of second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child and lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor. Prosecutors have declined to explain the basis for the sex-related counts.

The automobile homicide charges were amended by prosecutors on Thursday to two counts of second-degree felony manslaughter while the other counts remained unchanged.

But after a lengthy, private deliberation between Moore's lawyers and prosecutors on Friday, 7th District Juvenile Court Judge Craig Bunnell ordered Moore bound over on just four charges — two second-degree felony counts of automobile homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment, class A misdemeanors.