A Long Beach man has pleaded guilty to being drunk when he struck and killed 23-year-old William Jason “B.J.” Evans.

Robert Lewis White Sr., 45, entered the plea Monday in Harrison County Circuit Court.

Evans was a National Guardsman who survived two tours in Iraq. He had been home nearly three months when his motorcycle was struck March 21, 2006, by a van driven by White.

White on Monday told Circuit Judge Jerry O. Terry he didn’t see the motorcycle and panicked. He also ran from patrol officers.

Terry ordered White into custody pending a pre-sentence investigation. White faces five to 25 years for DUI causing death and one to five years for fleeing the scene.

White told the judge he drank about eight beers in a three-hour period at his home and the home of a friend. He said he missed his turn and put on his blinker but didn’t see the motorcycle.

Assistant District Attorney Joel Smith said White’s blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent. The legal limit in Mississippi is 0.08 percent.