Minnetrista Father Pleads Guilty In Infant Daughter's Drowning Case

Jonathan Markle, 42, pleaded guilty to one felony charge Wednesday.

Markle, from Minnetrista, was charged with criminal vehicular homicide for the death of his baby daughter who drowned after the SUV he was driving broke through the ice on Lake Minnetonka in January.

He received a suspended 57-month prison sentence, according to the Star Tribune. Markle’s defense team plans to appeal due to a blood test taken without a warrant, according to the newspaper.

On Jan, 18, Markle was driving back from dinner across the ice and was near a channel underneath the Narrows Bridge when the family's SUV plunged into the lake.

Four members of the Markle family were in the vehicle—including 9-month-old Tabitha. Despite numerous attempts to save the infant from freezing waters, Jonathan Markle was unable to free his daughter from her car seat.

Rescue divers executed a successful extraction, and Tabitha was on her way to the hospital after about 15 minutes under water. She died three days later.

Markle's blood alcohol level was .13 when he attempted to drive underneath the Halstead Bay Bridge.