Man pleads guilty to fatal DUI for second time in 10 years

For the second time in 10 years, a man has pleaded guilty to causing a fatal DUI crash.

On Tuesday, 51-year-old Prentiss Bates pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide in connection with a September 2022 crash. Bates drove the wrong way on Rancho Drive before crashing into a parked SUV and killing 40-year-old Demarr Sims, police records show.

According to a police report, Sims was working as a construction flagger and was sitting in the SUV that was surrounded by large orange cones.

At the time of the crash, Bates was out on bail for a June DUI arrest. He had been ordered not to drive and to submit to alcohol and drug monitoring as part of his bail conditions.

Bates faces life in prison with the possibility of parole in 10 years to 25 years in prison. His parole eligibility would start after 10 years, according to the plea agreement.

In 2013, Bates pleaded guilty to one count of felony DUI and was sentenced to 8 to 20 years in Nevada State Prison. In that case, Bates was charged in connection to striking and killing 58-year-old Jim Burchette as he rode a motorcycle near Nellis Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, court records show.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.