A man described as a former co-owner of a Riverside brewery who was facing a murder trial after causing a fatal DUI collision will be sentenced on May 17 after admitting to a lesser charge, authorities said.
Ryan Cavender Wicks, 41, had been charged with second-degree murder and driving under the influence causing injury for the 2022 collision on the 15 Freeway in Ontario that killed Gary Boeldt II and injured his wife, Christine Lynn Carroll, both Oceanside residents.
Then on April 9 in Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga, Wicks pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI alcohol/drugs causing injury, and DUI with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or greater causing injury, San Bernardino County court records show.
He was being held without bail at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.
In 2005, Wicks was convicted of DUI in San Bernardino County and signed a so-called Watson advisement warning him that drunken driving can injure or kill people, the District Attorney’s Office said. That made him eligible for the murder charge.
Wicks negotiated the plea with the District Attorney’s Office, his attorney, Lee Gale, said on Friday, April 26.
A second-degree murder conviction would have carried a sentence of 15 years to life, whereas the charges Wicks pleaded to will result in a defined imprisonment term, Gale said.
“He’s certainly taking accountability for this, but in his private life he is a very good person, extremely charitable,” Gale said. “He’s obviously very torn up and willing to take responsibility for it.”
The collision happened just before 1 a.m. on March 31, 2022, on the northbound 15 near Jurupa Avenue, the California Highway Patrol said. Boeldt was driving about 70 mph in the left lane when Wicks struck his car from behind “in excess of 100 mph,” a CHP news release said.
Boeldt’s car plunged down an embankment and overturned.
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At the time, the DA’s Office described Wicks as the co-owner, along with his father, of Wicks Brewing, a brewery and restaurant in Riverside. But a sign hung on the business’ door after his arrest threatened to sue anyone who said Wicks was an owner. The business closed in 2023.
Wicks is also facing a lawsuit over the collision. Christine Carroll is seeking more than $25,000 from Wicks in the lawsuit, which also names the brewery as a defendant. The lawsuit accuses the brewery of serving alcohol to Wicks before the collision. The next hearing is scheduled for June 17.
In better times, Ryan Wicks was celebrated for his work on behalf of law enforcement.
In 2014, on the one-year anniversary of the shooting deaths of Riverside police Officer Mike Crain and San Bernardino County sheriff’s Detective Jeremiah MacKay by fugitive Christopher Dorner, Wicks collaborated on beers to honor the officers: Sheepdog, a red ale for MacKay, and Freight Crain, a chocolate malt stout. The brewery also assisted with a car show to benefit their families.