A local Palm Coast resident could see up to 31 years in prison when he is sentenced this April after pleading no contest to a DUI manslaughter charge.

39-year-old Mark Lester Wolf entered the plea March 16. All told, he pleaded no contest to three charges including DUI manslaughter, DUI with serious bodily injury and DUI property damage. The charges all originated from a crash in February of last year. Wolf drove his Mercedes into a Nissan truck on Florida's I-95. The resulting collision ended with the death of 35-year-old Kelly Frates, a passenger in the truck, and three others in the vehicle. 

Surprisingly, Wolf pleaded not guilty to two additional counts of DUI bodily damage but was found guilty of these charges nonetheless. A request to dismiss leaving the scene of the crash charges was also denied. 

A "no contest" plea simply means Wolf did not admit nor refute the charges. It will be left entirely to a judge to determine appropriate sentencing based on those charges, then, and determine the level to which he will hold Wolf accountable.

The "no contest" plea is often used in order to seek a plea bargain without having to admit guilt. If an individual does not feel he can win his or her case, the no contest plea is an option to avoid a guilty plea or guilty verdict but not go through the entire legal process. 

There is conflicting opinion over whether a no contest plea is a reasonable solution to this type of scenario. In any potential civil lawsuit that arises from this case, and there may be a large lawsuit due to the loss of life and extent of damage, the civil court could interpret the no contest plea as a soft admission of guilt. More often than not, if an individual has pleaded no contest, he or she will be held liable in civil court.