SARGENT, Neb. (AP) — A man is scheduled for sentencing in March for the crash death of his car passenger on Thanksgiving Day 2016.

49-year-old Virgil Ramsdell, of Taylor, pleaded no contest Thursday to manslaughter. A charge of being a habitual criminal was dropped as part of a plea agreement. His sentencing is set for March 22 in Custer County District Court.

The accident occurred Nov. 24, 2016, on U.S. Highway 183, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of Sargent. The Nebraska State Patrol says Ramsdell reported that the car crashed after he swerved to miss a deer. His passenger, 56-year-old Becky Millard, of Sargent, was declared dead at a hospital.

Court records say Ramsdell tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine after the accident.