ROCHESTER — A Kenosha woman who is accused of hitting her boyfriend with her pickup and driving away was in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday for arraignment.
Sarah McAuliffe, 36, pleaded not guilty to felony hit and run involving death.
Joshua Billings, 33, of Burlington, was found at approximately 2 a.m. on March 21 near the intersection of North Milwaukee Avenue and N. English Settlement Avenue. He was discovered lying motionless on the road with injuries suggesting he was struck by a vehicle.
Judge Robert Repischak was assigned to preside over the case. A status hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 29.
Investigation of hit-and-run
According to the criminal complaint, Racine County Sheriff’s Office investigators learned Billings had a girlfriend named Sarah McAuliffe, but they were unable to locate her.
Shortly before 9 a.m., the victim’s phone rang. The caller ID indicated the call was from “Sarah’s Dad.” Deputy Reinhold answered the phone and spoke to McAuliffe’s father, who indicated he watched her children the night before while she and Billings went out for the evening. He was calling because he had not heard from either one and gave investigators McAuliffe’s address in Kenosha.
According to the complaint, deputies went to that address where they located a black Ford F350 outside and McAuliffe at the residence.
She reportedly told investigators she and Billings went out for the evening and returned from a bar between midnight and 1 a.m. However, they were arguing and allegedly Billings jumped out of the vehicle. She claimed he was too big for her to have pushed him out.
She claimed not to be able to find him and had texted him repeatedly. Ultimately, she just went home, according to the complaint. She claimed Billings was upset, but she could not say why, and they were each going to go home and calm down.
McAuliffe originally claimed she did not call anyone after Billings reportedly left the vehicle but another person in the house reminded her of a call to her father. She acknowledged that was true.
According to the complaint, her father turned over his call log to investigators but all calls after midnight had been deleted. He initially said he did not remember any calls and had been drinking. However, he eventually said he did receive texts from his daughter.
The complaint quoted one of the texts that came in at 2:39 a.m.:
“I don’t know what the f—- to do to be honest I don’t want to send them to school and then something happens and I am not available or I’m in jail. I don’t know what the f— to do. He intentionally tried to ruin me just now, so there’s that, I will do as you wish because I’m at a loss right now.”
The defendant’s father eventually told investigators his daughter did call him and was hysterical because she and her boyfriend were fighting. She reportedly claimed she did not know where she was and could not find Billings. He claimed he advised his daughter to call the police several times.
During a second call, McAuliffe and her father talked about the fight and where she was. She reportedly was looking for Billings but could not find him. He reportedly told her again to call the police.
After 20 minutes of talking to investigators, McAuliffe’s father admitted there had been “an accident” and she “might have hurt him.” She allegedly said she did not want to get in trouble for what happened. She also allegedly said “she might have hit him.”
Her father claimed he again advised his daughter to call the police, but she was afraid of going to jail. He quoted his daughter saying, “I think I hit him. I can’t find him. I’m scared.”
Court news
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