Glades crash that killed motorcyclist, 86, sends van driver to state prison for 15 years

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
A gavel sits atop a book.

WEST PALM BEACH — A judge has sentenced a 42-year-old man man to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to five charges related to an October 2021 crash that killed a motorcyclist near South Bay.

Henry Wayne Bailey pleaded to one count each of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, DUI causing bodily injury and grand theft auto with damage over $1,000.

Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss sentenced Bailey to concurrent terms of five years on the DUI causing bodily injury charge and 15 years each on the remaining charges. Weiss also revoked Bailey's driver's license for life.

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Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies arrested Bailey on Oct. 10, 2021, after alleging he fled the scene of a crash that killed Karl Sickle, 86, of Homestead.

Investigators said at the time that Sickle was traveling southbound on U.S. 27 aboard a Harley-Davidson motorcycle just after 2 p.m. that day. Bailey's Ford van was eastbound and crossed into the motorcycle's path just south of Lake Okeechobee. The crash threw both Sickle and his female passenger to the pavement, investigators said.

Sickle died at the scene. His passenger was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach with serious injuries.

Witnesses described a van driver who fled to a nearby wooded property. Deputies tracked the driver and identified him as Bailey. A deputy noted that Bailey's breath smelled of alcohol and described him as swaying and staggering as he walked.

A representative for the property's owner told investigators that Bailey had taken a vehicle from the property without permission and was not authorized to drive because his license had been revoked.

Weiss credited Bailey with more than a year of time served in jail — 415 days — as he awaited trial.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DUI crash that killed 86-year-old motorcyclist sends driver to prison