Santee Teen Changes Plea in Deadly SR-52 Crash Case

A Santee teenager involved in a crash that killed two of his friends on SR-52 in April has changed his plea to guilty.

Eighteen-year-old Michael Johnson now faces 180 days in Sheriff's custody and will be on probation for three years under a new plea deal made with the district attorney's office Tuesday.

Prior to the plea, Johnson pleaded not guilty to five charges for the April crash that involved two vehicles filled with teenagers.

The two drivers were racing on the Kearny Mesa highway at speeds over 100 miles per hour, prosecutors said.

Two students were killed when one of the cars flipped over: 16-year-old Jayli Campbell and 18-year-old Anthony Foreman, both high school students in Santee.

Charlotte McQuillen, 15, was in the front seat of the car. She was in a coma for five days following the crash and sustained some memory loss.

The driver of the car that flipped pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter in Juvenile court in July.

Johnson was the driver of the other car. He was arrested immediately after the crash.

Prosecutors say they hope his case will send a clear message to teen drivers.

"Even if you are not driving the car that crashes, if you or your driving contributed to that condition, you share responsibility for the injuries that occur," said Kristin Spieler, the prosecuting attorney for the case.
 

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