A Pope County man has agreed to a four-year prison term following a

July accident that left a five-month old boy dead. On Tuesday,

December 4, Dana Schoen, 38, of rural Starbuck, has pleaded guilty to

three felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide. The charges stem

from a collision that left infant Drake Bigler dead and injured the

boy’s great-grandmother Sharon Schuler and his father Brad Bigler, the

men’s basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University. Schoen

has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, swerving

into the path of an SUV driven by Brad Bigler’s wife, Heather Bigler,

and hitting the passenger side of the vehicle. Sharon Schuler

sustained multiple broken bones and Brad Bigler suffered a head injury

and several broken bones.

Schoen’s plea deal includes an admission of a blood alcohol content at

the time of driving at .32, four times the legal limit. Judge Charles

Glasrud has deferred acceptance of Schoen’s plea until a pre-sentence

investigation has been conducted. Schoen voluntarily entered custody

and placed his bail money in the court’s custody for presumed

restitution and fees. A sentencing hearing has been set for January

25, 2013.