One of the drivers in a crash in Roseville last week in which two pedestrians died told a family member he had two drinks at a nearby bar beforehand, according to a search warrant affidavit.
An officer overheard John Michael Rickey, 72, make the statement to a relative after being allowed to make a phone call at the Jan. 3 crash scene, according to the affidavit filed in Ramsey County District Court this week.
When questioned by officers, Rickey admitted to drinking the alcoholic beverages while eating dinner at a bar at 1986 Rice St. just before the crash, the affidavit said.
Law enforcement attempted to obtain a preliminary breath sample from him at the scene, but Rickey’s breathing was too shallow to capture one, according to the affidavit.
His age and “purported medical conditions” also led to complications with his ability to successfully perform a field sobriety test, according to the affidavit.
As police continued to interview Rickey, he showed no signs of obvious impairment, according to Roseville Deputy Chief Erika Scheider.
She added that police were able to confirm via receipts that Rickey had limited his drinks at the bar to two.
Still, the only way to know his blood-alcohol concentration at the time is with a blood test, Scheider said, adding that results of those tests are pending.
PEDESTRIANS DIED AT THE SCENE
The St. Paul man struck Robert Blake Buxton, 47, of Roseville, and Meridith Nypree Aikens, 45, of Roseville, as he was traveling westbound on Larpenteur Avenue near Woodbridge Court in a dark blue GMC Sierra pickup truck at 5:34 p.m. Thursday.
The pedestrians were crossing Larpenteur when they were hit. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Rickey immediately pulled over and has been cooperative with police, Scheider said.
SECOND DRIVER ‘DRAGGED’ FEMALE PEDESTRIAN BEFORE LEAVING SCENE, AUTHORITIES SAY
Roseville police arrested a second driver believed to be involved in the collision after he left a St. Paul bar Saturday night.
The 61-year-old Roseville man drove a sedan that fled the scene of the crash, according to Roseville police.
His vehicle, a Chrysler LeBaron, had “fresh damage” and “additional evidence linking him to the crash,” police reported, adding: “It is believed the driver was impaired at the time of the crash and aware he struck the victim(s).”
The driver was reportedly traveling in the far left lane on westbound Larpenteur when he struck Aikens, who was lying in the street after she and Buxton were knocked to the ground by Rickey’s vehicle, the affidavit said.
The driver dragged her body for “several yards” before leaving it behind in the westbound traffic lane and leaving the scene, the document continued.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office has not yet been presented with cases to review for possible criminal charges against either driver, and both have been released from police custody, Scheider said.
Police are hoping additional witnesses who saw the moments leading up to the crash will come forward. Their accounts, coupled with results of the pending blood tests, the accident reconstruction expert’s report, video surveillance, as well as evidence still being processed from the second driver’s car, will all be critical to the investigation’s findings, Scheider added.
“There’s just a lot of follow-up that still needs to be done before we will be submitting anything (for possible charges),” she said. “This is obviously a really complex case and we need to make sure we have a very accurate picture of exactly what happened.”