No-contest plea entered in fatal wrong-way crash

A drunk driver who caused a head-on collision on Nim­itz Highway at Sand Island Access Road nearly two years ago by driving in the wrong direction pleaded no contest in state court Tuesday morning to killing his passenger in the crash.

Jones Ilon pleaded no contest to negligent homicide and to charges that he caused the injuries suffered by the occupants in the other vehicle.

Ilon, 40, faces a maximum 10-year prison term for the negligent homicide and five-year terms for each of the two negligent-injury charges at sentencing in March. He is not a U.S. citizen and also faces possible deportation.

He has indicated that he will be asking for a deferral of his no-contest pleas to avoid conviction.

Circuit Judge Glenn Kim will decide whether to grant deferrals. He told Ilon, however, that he doesn’t believe Ilon qualifies for a deferral.

Ilon pleaded guilty in 1998 to driving under the influence of an intoxicant and to operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

Billy Lucas, 28, was the passenger and owner of the subcompact car Ilon was driving in the early morning hours of March 18, 2012. A city ambulance took Lucas in critical condition to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he died.

Ilon, who suffered a broken leg, also went to Queen’s. His blood alcohol content was 0.15, nearly double the legal threshold for drunken driving.

Lucas’ blood alcohol content was 0.24.

The occupants of the other vehicle, Caro-line and Feli­mon Bata­can Jr., were taken to Queen’s in serious condition. Feli­mon Bata­can said their decision to drive to work in their sport utility vehicle rather than their compact car probably saved their lives.