Sioux Falls man pleads guilty to vehicular battery in summer Sip-N-Cycle crash

A Sioux Falls man accused of being under the influence of drugs when he drove into a Sip-N-Cycle last summer, injuring multiple people, pleaded guilty Thursday.

Justin Daniel Rabago, 26, pleaded guilty to four charges on four different pending cases.

Rabago pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular battery in the Aug. 4, 2018, crash with the Sip-N-Cycle. Other charges of driving under the influence, driving without a license and driving without insurance were dismissed.  

The incident was described as a "mass casualty scene" and it could have "resulted in fatalities," attorneys and police said in 2018.

Sip-N-Cycle passengers were injured in the crash. One person was pinned between the Sip-N-Cycle and Rabago's car, and one person's ankle was injured to the point that bone was exposed. Another victim had severe head trauma and a brain bleed. 

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At the crash, Rabago appeared to be fidgety with burnt lips. He was described as coming off of meth and marijuana. He said he was driving the vehicle, but couldn't remember what happened.

Rabago also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault from a May 2018 case, where he was accused of threatening another person with a knife.

He pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, third offense, in an April 2018 incident when officers pulled him over after he reportedly was going south in a northbound lane, and to simple assault misdemeanor for a June 2018 incident, where he was accused of punching another inmate while in jail. 

Other pending cases for Rabago were dismissed as part of the plea deal. In August 2018, he was charged with simple assault again after another inmate was punched. Rabago was charged with failing to appear in June 2018 after missing April 2018 court dates on a possession of marijuana charge. 

Rabago also admitted to two part II information documents, which increase the offense level because of past related offenses. He admitted to a 2013 vehicular battery charge — for which he was released from prison in 2017 — and two prior driving under the influence offenses.

The charges could accumulate to a total of 32 years in prison. The plea deal caps the amount of time served to 15 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March. 

Follow reporter Danielle Ferguson on Twitter at @DaniFergs