A Wisconsin man was charged after police say he caused a rollover crash during an October road rage incident in Antioch, which left a man dead and his family injured.
Joshua A. Bailey, 24, of the 19600 block of 82nd Street in Bristol, Wisconsin, was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving and street racing.
The incident happened around 4:05 p.m. October 17 on Route 45 north of Route 173 in unincorporated Antioch.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit completed their investigation this month into the crash.
Investigators said that Bailey was driving a Dodge Caliber northbound on Route 45. William Stephens, 39, of Antioch, was driving northbound in a Ford Taurus.
Bailey passed Stephens and several other vehicles at a high rate of speed as they traveled northbound on Route 45 in a no-passing zone, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli.
When Stephens reached a legal passing zone, he began to pass Bailey, but Bailey swerved toward Stephens to prevent him from passing.
This caused Stephens to drive onto the gravel shoulder and lose control, Covelli said.
Stephens struck the Dodge after he lost control and tried correcting. Stephensโ vehicle then rolled over and he was ejected from the Ford.
Stephens was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with critical injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Bailey was transported to St. Catherineโs Hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with non-life-threatening injuries.
Stephens’ 36-year-old wife, who was in the passenger seat, and their 6-year-old daughter, who was also in the car, were both transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
A judge signed an arrest warrant after the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges on Thursday.
The Kenosha County Sheriffโs Office arrested Bailey as he was leaving his Wisconsin residence on Friday. He currently remains held in the Kenosha County Jail pending extradition hearings.
“A life was senselessly lost due to what appears to be ego mixed with road rage. The circumstances of this case serve as a stark reminder to not let anger get in the way of safe driving,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
“We hope this first step in the justice process helps to bring additional closure to the Stephens family.”