Driver in deadly high speed chase pleads guilty

Medford, Ore. — The man who led police on a high speed chase that killed another driver this summer pleaded guilty Friday to several charges.

Robert Brooks led police on a chase the night of Sunday, Aug. 7, which spanned from east Medford to Central Point. Brooks hit and killed Catherine Hein at the intersection of Vilas and Table Rock Roads in Central Point before crashing into a nearby Lil’ Pantry.

“It’s a very emotional situation for all of the people involved, not only the people that lost a loved one, but also the members of the Medford Police Department,” said Medford Police Chief Randy Sparacino at the time.

Friday, Brooks changed his plea to guilty on charges of Manslaughter in the 1st Degree, Attempt to Elude, DUII, two counts of Recklessly Endangering and Resisting Arrest. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 28. Manslaughter in the 1st Degree is a Measure 11 crime, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

Hein’s family did not speak in court Friday regarding the change in plea. They’ve described her as a woman who loved her family and had just won a long battle with breast cancer.

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