The 30-year-old Lake Orion woman charged with 18 felonies related to running down at least 11 pedestrians in a black Jeep has been referred for a competency evaluation by Warren’s 37th District Judge Suzanne Faunce.
The suspect, Rachele Ricklefs, faces charges after police say she drove toward and struck a number of citizens in different locations in Warren, including on Van Dyke Avenue and in a Walmart parking lot, throughout the evening of Sept. 26. She got the referral at her Tuesday, Oct. 7, court date.
Ricklefs is in custody at the Macomb County Jail with a bond set at $750,000 cash/surety, according to a news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. It is not a 10% bond.
Ricklefs is charged with 10 counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of fleeing and elude to the third degree, two counts of malicious destruction of police/fire property, two counts of malicious destruction of personal property, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of resisting and obstructing police and one misdemeanor count of child abuse to the fourth degree, according to a news release from the Warren Police Department.
Assault with intent to murder is punishable by a sentence of up to life in prison, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. The suspect’s other felony charges could add up to a 34-year sentence, and the misdemeanor can be up to a one-year sentence.
Ricklefs is scheduled to return to Warren’s 37th District Court on Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. to review the evaluation results and status of the case.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lake Orion woman accused of striking 11 pedestrians to get competency exam
Reporting by Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
