A Hammond man is charged for fleeing a fatal wreck in a Lake County Jail correctional officer’s death, records allege.
Jimmie Jacobs III, 29, was charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death to another person, a Level 4 felony, and reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony.
If convicted, he faces up to 18 years in prison.
He is in custody, held on a $5,500 cash bond.
Schererville Police responded to a two-car crash around 4 a.m. Oct. 11 on U.S. 30 near Austin Avenue.
A Honda Civic’s driver – Ronald Jones, 58, of Schererville – was “unconscious” and extricated with the “jaws of life.” A white Chrysler 300 was empty. Jones had worked as a correctional officer at the Lake County Jail for nearly nine years, according to a previous news release.
He was pronounced dead at 8:22 a.m. after he was airlifted to Advocate Christ Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
At the scene, police searched for Jacobs with a drone and police dog. Officers found Jacobs’ IDs and cellphone in the car.
Surveillance footage from Dairy Belle showed Jones was turning left to head east on U.S. 30 when Jacobs blew through the red light at a “high rate of speed.”
Jacobs left his car and got a ride from a black SUV, according to video footage.
Police tracked him to an apartment complex on the 2000 block of Meadow Lane. After a two-hour stakeout, officers arrested him just after 8 p.m. when he opened the door.
He declined medical treatment, then asked for a lawyer. Police photographed his injuries.
Earlier in the investigation, Hammond police went to Jacob’s relative’s home, who told them he didn’t live there. Another Hammond officer told investigators that Jacob’s brother was driving a black Nissan SUV rental with an Ohio license plate while his truck was getting fixed in the shop.
Jacobs called a non-emergency number to report the accident, records state. He demurred when asked to go to the Schererville Police Station.
Detectives tracked down Marche Holcombe at a gas station, whose cellphone Jacobs used. When they felt she was covering for him, they arrested her. She was later charged with misdemeanor false informing.
She later told police that a cousin picked him up and gave him a ride back to Hammond. After that, she took him to her Dyer apartment while she went to a birthday party at Up Your Alley, records state.
Jones is survived by two adult children.
Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said Jones’ coworkers remember him as a kind, dedicated man who performed his duties with an exceptional level of professionalism. The sheriff’s department expressed condolences to Jones’ family and friends.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
