A 20-year-old Lake Mills, Iowa, man who faces charges related to a deadly crash in Hancock County in June 2009 pleaded guilty this week to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of serious injury by vehicle.

The plea by Koh Evan Tsuruta was entered as part of a plea agreement between his lawyer and the Hancock County Attorney’s Office.

Hancock County Attorney Karen Kaufman Salic said Tsuruta faces up to 25 years in prison under the agreement.

The agreement states Tsuruta’s criminal vehicular homicide charges would be amended from class B felonies, which carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison, to class C felonies, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. His class D felony charge of serious injury by vehicle would not change. He could get up to five years for this charge.

The joint recommendation is for the prison time for all of the charges to run consecutively, Kaufman Salic said. She noted that in Iowa the judge may order a sentence of up to 25 years in prison for Tsuruta, but ultimately it is up to the parole board and Tsuruta’s own behavior to determine if that full sentence will be played out.

She said the agreement also includes $150,000 in restitution for each of the counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

The plea stem from a crash June 18, 2009, at the intersection of Hancock County Roads B14 and R74, just south of Forest City, Iowa. Tyler Brighton, 19, of Lake Mills, and Harland Derr, 58, of Rudd, Iowa, died.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, Tsuruta was reportedly southbound on R74 when he failed to stop for a stop sign and broadsided the automobile driven by Derr, which was traveling westbound on B14.

Brighton was one of two passengers in Tsuruta’s vehicle. Tsuruta and his second passenger, Alexander Mosby, also of Lake Mills, received serious injuries.

Derr was the driver and only occupant in the second vehicle. He and Brighton reportedly died at the scene.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 14 at 11:30 a.m.

The case was investigated by the sheriff’s offices of Hancock and Winnebago counties and the police departments of Forest City and Lake Mills.