Fatal prom-night-crash case ends with guilty plea and hug

EVERETT — Minutes after admitting to his role in a road-rage accident that resulted in the death last year of a 16-year-old girl, Lukasz Kutek hugged the victim's mother before leaving court.

Katie Pemberton sobbed yesterday as she embraced Kutek, 22. She thanked him for pleading guilty to reckless driving and urged him "not to screw up again."

Kutek quietly promised her he wouldn't.

The Shoreline man faces a little more than a year in jail for two misdemeanor charges that also include disorderly conduct, when he is sentenced Sept. 16.

"I feel really bad for him (Kutek). Nothing is going to bring back Georgia," Katie Pemberton said after the hearing. "I hope he makes something of his life when he gets out."

Kutek declined to comment on his plea as he left the Snohomish County Courthouse. His attorney, Mark Vanderveen, said Kutek has always been willing to plead guilty to reckless driving.

"We believe this is the appropriate charge," Vanderveen said yesterday. "This accurately reflects what the jury told us at the end of the trial."

Kutek initially was charged with vehicular homicide, but jurors couldn't reach a verdict after his weeklong trial and a judge declared a mistrial June 30. This provided the opportunity for Kutek to plead guilty to the reduced charges.

According to prosecutors, Kutek cut off Allison Arnold Jr. at 76th Avenue West and Highway 104 in Edmonds on April 27, 2002. When Arnold, 34, of Bellevue, sped through the oncoming lanes to pass Kutek, he slammed into Georgia Pemberton's Ford Mustang. The Lake Stevens High School cheerleader was killed almost instantly.

The girl and her date, Ben Dillon, who was driving the car, were heading to a party after leaving their high-school prom. Dillon, 17, suffered minor injuries.

Kutek's car was not involved in the crash.

Arnold was convicted of vehicular homicide and was sentenced in May to 3-1/2 years in prison.

Vanderveen hopes Kutek will be able to spend his jail time in a work-release program. He said Kutek hadn't been accepted into the program yet.

Jennifer Sullivan: 425-783-0604 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com