Morgan Lange faces up to 11 years in prison after admitting to vehicular manslaughter and evidence tampering.
BALLSTON SPA, NY — A Glenville woman pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence after she drove over a co-worker outside a Saratoga County restaurant while intoxicated, prosecutors said.
Morgan Lange, 34, entered the guilty pleas Monday, July 27, in Saratoga County Court in connection with the death of Joshua Soden. Lange pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a Class D felony, and tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony, according to the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office. She could receive consecutive prison sentences totaling as much as 11 years.
The case arose from a Sept. 8, 2025, incident in the parking lot of Bentley’s Tavern on Hemphill Place in Malta. Investigators said Lange drove a Hyundai Sonata over Soden, pinning him beneath the vehicle. New York State Police and Malta Ridge firefighters freed Soden, who was taken first to Saratoga Hospital and then to Albany Medical Center. He died from his injuries 12 days later.
Soden was 29 when he was struck. He and Lange worked at Bentley’s Tavern, though both were off duty that night, according to earlier reporting. Police said the collision happened at about 10:15 p.m. as Lange was attempting to leave the restaurant’s parking lot. Lange remained at the scene and called 911.
Authorities said Lange provided a breath sample that showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.12%, above New York’s legal limit of 0.08% for most drivers. Court records said Lange had been drinking before the collision. The guilty plea resolves the principal criminal charges tied to Soden’s death without a trial.
The evidence-tampering charge stemmed from what happened after the collision. Investigators said Lange removed an open can of White Claw hard seltzer from her car and tried to persuade another co-worker to dispose of it. Her admission to that charge means prosecutors will not have to prove the allegation before a jury.
Saratoga County District Attorney Brett Eby said his office did not extend a negotiated plea offer because he believed the sentencing range for second-degree vehicular manslaughter did not fully reflect the loss of life and Lange’s conduct after the crash. Lange instead pleaded guilty to the two charges without an agreed sentence.
Second-degree vehicular manslaughter carries a maximum prison term of 2⅓ to seven years under New York law. Tampering with physical evidence carries a maximum term of 1⅓ to four years. The court could order those sentences to run consecutively, exposing Lange to a maximum combined term of 11 years.
Eby also cited Lange’s conduct while the criminal case was pending. Prosecutors said she was arrested on another felony charge after allegedly submitting false information to obtain a conditional driver’s license. Eby said Lange claimed she needed the license to travel to work at Bentley’s Tavern even though she was no longer employed there.
Earlier in the case, a clerical error on a Malta Town Court form led the state Department of Motor Vehicles to issue Lange a conditional license despite a judge’s order suspending her driving privileges. After prosecutors received reports that she was driving and investigated, County Judge Francine R. Vero suspended the license again.
Eby said Soden was remembered by relatives, friends and community members as kind, hardworking and generous. He praised Soden’s family for its perseverance during the case and credited state troopers, investigators, prosecutors and a crime victim advocate for their work.
Sentencing is expected in December before Vero, though the District Attorney’s Office said no official date had been set. The judge will determine the length of Lange’s sentence after reviewing the case and hearing from the prosecution, defense and people affected by Soden’s death.
Author note: Last updated July 30, 2026.