Man charged with DUI in crash that killed retired CFD commander, wife

Bond was set at $50,000 on Friday for a man accused of driving drunk and causing a July crash on the Far South Side that killed a retired Chicago Fire Department commander and his wife.

Doran Sims, 30, is charged with aggravated driving under the influence of a alcohol causing death, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Witnesses reported seeing Sims cross the center median multiple times shortly after 1 a.m. July 29 as he drove east on 103rd Street, Assistant State’s Attorney Rachel Mabbott said during Sims’ bail hearing Friday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

When he crossed the center line in the 2100 block of East 103rd Street he collided head-on with a westbound vehicle occupied by 63-year-old Richard Biehl and his 60-year-old wife Susan, Mabbott said. The impact of the crash caused the Biehl’s vehicle to flip and land on its roof.

The Biehls, who lived in the Wrightwood neighborhood, were taken to a hospital and pronounced dead hours later, according to authorities.

Sims, of South Deering, was the only person found in the vehicle and was in the driver’s seat when emergency crews arrived, Mabbott said. He allegedly admitted to drinking tequila while he was still on scene. A bottle of tequila was later found in the vehicle and blood drawn hours after the crash showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.072. His license had been suspended for financial reasons at the time of the crash.

Sims was taken to a hospital with critical injuries and was treated and release, authorities said. He was taken into custody on a arrest warrant charging him with DUI on Thursday, police records show.

Judge Mary Marubio upheld the $50,000 bail set by the warrant during the hearing Friday and also ordered Sims not to consume intoxicating substances or drive while the case continues. The state’s attorney’s office had also asked for Sims to be placed on electronic monitoring by where denied their request by Marubio.

Richard Biehls was a hired by the fire department in 1985 and retired as an ambulance commander in November 2012, according to Fire Media Affairs spokesman Larry Merritt.