Skokie man charged in fatal hit-and-run of Park Ridge man

An emergency medical technician from Skokie has been charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident near Des Plaines that killed a Park Ridge man.

Kristian Hernandez, 36, of the 8200 block of Knox Avenue, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident resulting in death, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced in a news release.

Prior to this arrest, Hernandez had been arrested seven times for offenses including a violation of an order of protection, domestic battery with bodily harm, and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.

A Cook County judge set Hernandez’s bail at $100,000 during a bond hearing Friday morning at the courthouse in Skokie.

At 5:15 p.m. Nov. 5, a cyclist discovered the body of Ronald Bougan, 53, lying in the grass just off Touhy Avenue near the Axehead Lake Forest Preserve in unincorporated Maine Township, Cook County Sheriff’s police said in a news release.

Authorities believe Bougan, who often walked in the area, was struck and killed that morning.

Sheriff’s detectives contacted law enforcement agencies with information about the accident and a possible offending vehicle and began canvassing local auto body shops to locate a vehicle that had damage consistent with items that were recovered at the scene, police said.

Police said an individual brought in a black Dodge Challenger to a Skokie auto body repair shop seeking a repair estimate. It matched the description and had damages consistent with the investigation, police said.

Detectives learned Hernandez worked as an EMT for a private ambulance company in Skokie and set up surveillance.

He was taken into custody on Nov. 7 and admitted his involvement, police said.

Hernandez’s next court date is Dec. 4 in Skokie.