COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County court documents state a Jonesville man was the driver of the convertible that drove off a dock and into the water at the Cary Lake Public Access site during the wee hours of August 29, 2016.
33-year-old Ricky Ledale Johnson was taken into custody at his home Thursday night following a nearly 14 month investigation by the Branch County Sheriff’s Department into the death of 43-year-old Jonathan Arnold McGuire of Bronson. They obtained a warrant from the Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.
Following his arrest by the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Department, Johnson was taken to the Branch County Jail.
Johnson is facing a 15 year felony for Failure to Stop at the Scene of an Accident-When at Fault-Resulting in Death. He is also facing a sentencing enhancement for being an Habitual Offender-third offense after court documents state he was convicted in 2002 in Ingham County for carrying a concealed weapon and being in possession of a controlled substance.
Court documents also indicate that Johnson told investigators that he “freaked out” following the accident which took place at about 1:00 a.m. or 2:00 a..m that morning, but he did not report it to the Sheriff’s office until about 8:30 a.m. Documents also state Johnson at first said he was the passenger but he later changed his story. McGuire’s body was found by divers a couple of hours later in the upside down convertible.
Bond is set at $200,000. The probable cause hearing is scheduled for October 24th, with the preliminary exam in District Court scheduled for October 31st.
