The Sun’s Brian Rokos reported that a brewery owner charged with DUI murder for his role in a fatal crash had his bail revoked by a San Bernardino Superior Court Judge on Monday, June 6.
Ryan Cavender Wicks, 39, of Rancho Cucamonga, co-owner of the Wicks Brewery in Riverside, posted a $.1 million bond after his arrest in March. Wicks is accused of DUI murder after a crash in the northbound lanes of the 15 Freeway on March 31 that took the life of a 52-year-old Oceanside man.
Even though Wicks’ bail hearing was scheduled for June 14, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office was able to convince the judge that Wicks should be held without bail.
In an email, Jacquelyn Rodriguez, spokesperson for the DA’s office, said that prosecutors told the court, based on prior DUI convictions and knowledge that drinking while under the influence of alcohol was dangerous, “…the defendant is a danger to the community.”
“Yet he (Wicks) still proceeded to drink throughout the day and drive at speeds that were highly dangerous and indicated a high disregard for human life,” Rodriguez wrote.
Wicks pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and DUI causing injury. Wicks has one prior DUI conviction from 2005, in which he signed a Watson Advisement. The advisement is given to those convicted of DUI, informing them that driving under the influence is dangerous and that any further incidents of DUI could be used against them in court. The DA’s office cited the Watson Advisement in its current case against Wicks.
Wicks is currently being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
