Driver charged with DUI in deadly hit-and-run of bicyclist in Lake County
A driver has been charged in connection to the deadly hit-and-run of a bicyclist in Wadsworth back in September.
Alex Landa, 33, of the 700 block of Franklin, Winthrop Harbor, was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury on Wednesday, charged with failure to report a crash involving death and aggravated DUI causing death.
On Sept. 6, deputies arrived at Dilleys Road just south of Wadsworth Road for a report of a person down. That's where they found a woman dead in the roadway. She was later identified as Tiana Smith, 18, of Zion.
Investigators believed the woman was riding a bicycle northbound on Dilleys Road when she was hit from behind by a northbound GMC SUV and thrown from the bicycle, which became lodged under the SUV, as the driver fled from the scene.
The victim was then struck by a southbound Hyundai Elantra driven by a 23-year-old man from Waukegan. That driver cooperated with the investigation.
A witness told authorities they saw a GMC SUV dragging a bicycle eastbound on Wadsworth Road. The vehicle was then identified and located parked at a residence in Winthrop Harbor, with damage consistent with the crash.
The vehicle was seized, and crash investigators determined Landa was responsible for hitting and killing the victim following an extensive investigation.
Following the direct indictment, a Lake County Judge signed a warrant for the arrest of Landa.
No further information was immediately available.