‘It was me, I did it’: Woman charged with killing bicyclist in Mineral Point Road crash
MADISON, Wis. — A Sun Prairie woman has been charged in connection with a crash that killed a bicyclist early Tuesday morning on Madison’s west side.
Authorities initially arrested 42-year-old Okima Jones shortly after the crash on a possible charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Jones is also being held in the Dane County Jail on a tentative charge of hit-and-run causing death, according to jail records and a Madison Police Department incident report.
According to online court records, the hit-and-run charge had not yet been filed against Jones as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Local law enforcement officials have not yet identified the victim, but they said the bicyclist was a man in his early 30s. Organizers with Madison Bikes, a local biking advocacy organization, said they plan to hold a vigil for the victim Thursday morning.
RELATED: Cyclist killed in fatal crash on Mineral Point Road
Police said the crash happened shortly before 4 a.m. at the intersection of Mineral Point and South High Point roads. The roadway was closed for several hours as first responders worked to process and clear the scene.
According to details from the criminal complaint filed against Jones, two people walking in the area at the time of the crash called 911 after she heard a loud “bang.” One of the witnesses reportedly told police she saw her coworker get hit by a vehicle while riding his bike.
The other witness, who was giving the victim chest compressions, then reportedly saw the vehicle stopped at a green light in the middle lane of Mineral Point Road. The driver then reportedly started driving away headed west through the intersection of South High Point Road, according to the complaint. When a Dane County Sheriff’s Office deputy first got to the scene, he reportedly didn’t see any vehicles still there.
As the deputy examined the scene, he reportedly saw an individual — later identified as Jones — walking toward the scene with her hands raised. The complaint alleges Jones said “It was me, I did it,” while walking closer.
The deputy also reported that Jones said she returned to the scene because she would have hoped someone would do the same if her brother had been hit by a driver. She later told the officer she pulled over in a nearby parking lot and ran back toward the scene.
Jones reportedly went on to say she “did not see that person,” though the deputy at the scene said the victim was wearing a brightly colored reflective vest at the time. After admitting several times to driving the vehicle involved in the crash, Jones reportedly told the deputy she was “on the phone” while driving.
When the two first started talking, the deputy reportedly smelled alcohol on Jones’ breath and she admitted to having a couple of drinks in downtown Madison roughly an hour before.
Later that morning, when Jones spoke with another MPD officer, Jones reportedly said she felt “tipsy.” Jones went on to fail a field sobriety test and later blew a .129 during a breathalyzer test.
During her initial appearance in Dane County Court on Wednesday, a court commissioner ordered Jones be held on a $10,000 cash bond. Court officials also ordered Jones not to drive any vehicles and not to consume any alcohol or drugs. Jones is also barred from having any contact with the victim’s immediate family.
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