Wisconsin man charged in fatal crash near Antioch

Police have charged a Wisconsin man for his part in an October crash in unincorporated Lake County near Antioch that took the life of a 39-year-old Antioch man and injured two others, officials said Friday.

Joshua A. Bailey, 24, of Bristol, Wisconsin, is being charged with reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving, both class 3 felonies; and one count of aggravated street racing, a class 4 felony.

According to Lt. Chris Covelli of the Lake County sheriff's office, the crash happened about 4 p.m. Oct. 17, 2020, when a Dodge Caliber driven by Bailey and a Ford Taurus were head north on a stretch of Route 45 north of Route 173.

Based on evidence at the scene and witness statements, investigators believe the driver of the Ford, William Stephens of Antioch, attempted to pass Bailey, but Bailey swerved toward Stephens to prevent him from passing, Covelli said. As a result, Stephens drove onto the gravel shoulder, lost control of his car and struck Bailey's Dodge. Stephens' vehicle then rolled and he was ejected from the car, according to Covelli.

Stephens and the two passengers in his car, a 36-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl, were rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Stephens died from his injuries. The woman and girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.

Bailey was taken to St. Catherine's Hospital in Kenosha with non-life-threatening injuries.

This week the Lake County state's attorney's office approved the charges against Bailey and a judge signed a warrant for his arrest. Kenosha County sheriff's officers arrested Bailey on Friday and he remains in a Wisconsin jail pending extradition hearings.

Bail for Bailey was set at $350,000 so he would need to pay $35,000 to be released from jail before his trial.

Covelli said in Friday's update that the initial police reports from October identified the victim as being from Round Lake. Stephens, who was 39 when he died, lived in Antioch.