ST. AUGUTEINE, Fla. – A man arrested in connection with the January 2015 hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in St. Augustine faced a judge Wednesday morning on charges of perjury and leaving the scene of a crash causing a fatality.
Jay Alix, 45, was ordered held on $25,000 on the hit-and-run charge, and $1,500 on the perjury charge. Alix's attorney argued he is not a flight risk because he's lived in Florida for 20 years and has no prior criminal history.
Recommended Videos
Benjamin Kausch, 45, was riding his bike along U.S. 1 when he was struck by a car just south of Stokes Landing Road in St. Augustine on Jan. 16, 2015, troopers said.
He worked as a chef at Kings Head British Pub, which is less than 2 miles from the scene of the accident.
"I know people laugh at me when I say he was the baby. He was 45 years old, but he was still my baby," said Lynn Kausch, Benjamin's mother.
Benjamin's mother and his older brother, Dave Kausch, told News4Jax Tuesday that they were overwhelmed when they got the call about the arrest.
"We're just so happy that this is coming to an end. I know, probably, we'll have a court case that will last for a while but at least we know that somebody is going to be held responsible for it," Lynn said.
After the hit-and-run crash nearly two years ago, the family placed a "ghost bike" along U.S. 1 as a tribute to Benjamin and hoped that someone would come forward.
Now, the difficult part is just beginning, Dave said.
"The hardest part of this is just having to do the waiting game. Will this individual continue to deny what he did? Or will they try to clear their conscious and admit to it?" Dave said.
No matter what, the family members said they will focus on remembering Benjamin's funny and calm spirit.
"His free spirit. His love for the world," Lynn said. "There's not too many people that he's ever met that he didn't like or consider a friend."