The sheriff says two siblings have been charged with lying to investigators when one of them was involved in a crash that left a 56-year-old motorcyclist dead in Beach Park in October.
The Beach Park Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:15 p.m. on October 18 to the intersection of Green Bay Road and Aviation Drive in Beach Park for a vehicle crash involving a motorcycle with injuries.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said deputies arrived to find a motorcyclist, later identified as Daniel Davis, 56, of Beach Park, dead at the scene.
An investigation showed the 2007 Suzuki GSXR600 motorcycle was traveling southbound on Green Bay Road.
Covelli said the motorcycle was traveling at an excessively fast speed, witnesses told investigators.
A 2022 Kia Rio was making a left turn from northbound Green Bay Road to westbound Chaplin Street.
The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the Kia as it was turning, Covelli said.
Davis was ejected from the motorcycle and sustained fatal injuries.
The sheriff’s office announced in an update on Tuesday that an extensive investigation was completed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Team.
Investigators determined that Jordan Ricks, 29, of Beach Park, and his sister, Asia Ricks, 23, of Beach Park, gave false information to responding deputies at the time of the crash, Covelli said.
Jordan Ricks told deputies at the scene that he was driving the Kia when the crash occurred. Asia Ricks claimed to be a passenger.
Investigators noted that the woman’s injuries were not consistent with where she said she was seated and her version of events did not align with physical evidence located inside the vehicle during a post-crash inspection, Covelli said.
It was determined that the crash occurred near the siblings’ shared residence and Jordan Ricks arrived at the scene after the crash occurred.
Investigators believe the siblings lied about what occurred because Asia Ricks was likely under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash and did not want to be held accountable for her actions, Covelli said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and it was presented to a Lake County grand jury last week.
The jury returned a bill of indictment charging both of the siblings with one count of obstruction of justice, a Class 4 felony.
A warrant was issued for Asia Ricks and Jordan Ricks and both turned themselves in to the Lake County Jail on Monday.
They were released and are scheduled to appear in court again on August 28 for an arraignment hearing.