A hearing date has been set to consider a bond reduction for 46-year-old Jeffrey Bilyak, who is currently lodged in the La Porte County Jail with a $20,000 bail.
Bilyak remained in jail and appeared on video in La Porte Circuit Court for his initial hearing on Friday, April 13th. Judge Tom Alevizos ordered a background check and scheduled a hearing for May 4th to decide whether to reduce Bilyak’s bail bonds, according to Correspondent Stan Maddux with the Times of North West Indiana.
Officers with La Porte County Sheriff’s Department report that on February 15th, while driving in heavy fog on US 421, just north of LaCrosse, Bilyak allegedly struck an ambulance as he attempted to pass a semi. The crash reportedly resulted in injuries to the ambulance driver, Jacob Levin, and EMT Eric Gunia and potentially caused fatal injuries to the patient, 47-year-old Heather Widing, of Portage.
An autopsy report listed in the affidavit of probable cause that was filed in La Porte County Circuit Court reveals that Widing died as result of blunt force trauma, complicated by cirrhosis. Police determined that Bilyak was apparently driving under the influence at the time of the accident.
Bilyak, a Chesterton man with a North Judson dental practice, is facing multiple felony charges including operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, reckless homicide, and two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury.
