A Cut Bank man admitted Friday to driving while drunk and high, and causing a serious crash on Oct. 18, 2015 in Essex in which he and a friend were seriously injured.

Tanner Grant Coen, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of felony negligent endangerment and one count of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“I’m guilty,” Coen said, when Flathead District Judge Robert Allison asked him why Coen was changing his plea.

Coen was originally charged with felony negligent vehicular assault.

The day of the crash, a Montana Highway Patrol officer was dispatched to the single-vehicle incident in which responders initially thought there had been fatalities. Coen and passenger Trenton Francom both suffered multiple fractures.

According to court documents, the trooper asked Francom after the crash if alcohol could have been involved and Francom said the pair “were trashed.” Francom said he could not remember who was driving.

In a subsequent interview, Francom stated that Coen had apologized to him and admitted driving the vehicle. Coen’s parents are the registered owners of the vehicle.

A blood draw indicated that Coen had .06 blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash, below the legal driving limit of .08. His blood also was found to have 5.9 nanograms per milliliter of tetrahydrocannibol, the active ingredient in marijuana. Five nanograms is the legal limit.

The plea agreement recommends that Coen receive a three-year deferred imposition of sentence, which means that the felony will be wiped off his record if he follows the conditions of probation for the next three years.

Allison noted that he is not bound to the plea agreement.

“I’m not bound to follow that recommendation,” Allison said. “I could impose a sentence up to prison time.”

Sentencing was set for Dec. 1.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.