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Man pleads guilty in deadly Lil' Pantry crash Robert Franklin Brooks, 26, pleads guilty Friday to felony charges of first-degree manslaughter and attempting to elude police in a vehicle, as well as several misdemeanor charges in Jackson County Circuit Court. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Friday Dec 16, 2016 at 1:16 PM Dec 16, 2016 at 3:59 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat A Gold Hill man who killed a woman and caused a two-alarm fire at a Lil' Pantry store while trying to elude police earlier this summer pleaded guilty today to manslaughter and another felony charge. Robert Franklin Brooks, 27, faces nearly 12 years in prison after admitting he caused the deadly Aug. 8 crash that killed 63-year-old Catherine "Katie" Hein and started a fire at the convenience store at Vilas and Table Rock roads. Hein, who was headed to her White City home, had the green light when Brooks' full-size, four-wheel-drive Chevrolet pickup rammed her at the intersection, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz. Brooks had led police on a chase across Medford before the crash, Markiewicz said in Jackson County Circuit Court.  "He'd been tire-spiked twice," Markiewicz said. Brooks faces 21 months above the minimum sentence for the Measure 11 because of the "aggravating factor" that he was on post-prison supervision when he fled Sgt. Justin Ivens at the Medford Travelodge on Alba Drive just before midnight Aug. 8, according to Markiewicz. Ivens had recognized Brooks and knew him to be in the parole and probation system when he attempted to stop him at the motel. Brooks had previously served an 18-month sentence after being convicted of vehicle theft in 2014. Witnesses reported seeing Brooks flee on foot, and Ivens called for backup while chasing him on foot through the hotel, according to Markiewicz. Ivens and another office attempted to stop him with a stun gun, but Brooks climbed into his truck and fled. A dispatch recording obtained by the Mail Tribune through the Broadcastify service earlier this year indicated that Brooks fled onto Alba Drive with his lights off, blew through traffic signals and almost hit an officer head-on in the minutes after midnight. The dispatch recording said he reached more than 70 mph in the residential area of Hillcrest Road and Sunrise Avenue, hit 90 mph heading northbound on North Foothill Road and more than 100 mph onto Foothill and Vilas roads. Brooks continued even after spike strips were deployed on Vilas, popping three of the truck's tires. Brooks collided with Hein at Table Rock and came to a stop inside the convenience store, where the truck caught fire. Brooks faces a lifetime driver's license revocation, and will be ordered to pay restitution on all counts. Hein's husband and son attended the hearing, but reserved their statements for Brooks' sentencing hearing set for Dec. 28.  Brooks pleaded guilty to felony charges of first-degree manslaughter and attempting to elude police in a vehicle, and to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. Court records show Brooks has multiple prior felony convictions, starting with first-degree burglary in April 2011 for forcing a White City man's door open with his shoulder over an unpaid marijuana debt of $200 then fighting with him over a shotgun. The next year, Brooks was convicted of first-degree burglary, admitting he entered a neighbor's Medford home and hit a man with a baseball bat in October 2011.   — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.