Man charged with killing cyclist admits drinking

Tue, Jun 30, 2009    to del.icio.us

HOLLAND — The man accused of striking two bicyclists in a hit-and-run crash at Quincy Street and U.S. 31 on Saturday morning told police he'd had as many as 20 drinks prior to the crash.

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When deputies approached Kevin Lee Babcock's vehicle after a 3-mile chase on northbound U.S. 31, they detected a strong odor of alcohol on him, Lt. Steve Kempker of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department testified in Holland District Court on Monday.

Babcock, of the Grand Rapids area, was arraigned Monday on five counts; including second-degree murder, which carries up to a life sentence.

He was also charged with felony counts of driving while intoxicated causing death, driving with a revoked license and failure to stop at the scene of a crash. Each carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Babcock also faces a drunken driving charge carrying a 30-day to one-year prison sentence.

Babcock has previous drunken driving convictions from 1993 and 2006. He was convicted of first-degree home invasion in 1998.

Police said Babcock fled north on U.S. 31 after striking Curtis Jacobs and Christian Van Wyngarden, both 19, after he ran a red light on Quincy Street around 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Jacobs died Sunday.

Police said they caught up to Babcock near Bingham Street. Babcock was cooperative as he was taken into custody, Kempker said in court Monday.

Judge Bradley Knoll set Babcock's bond at $750,000. A preliminary hearing has not been set.

— From The Holland Sentinel