Defendants re-arrested in deadly street racing crash

Two men accused of causing the death of an 81-year-old woman while street racing in Rancho Mirage more than two years ago were returned to jail Thursday after prosecutors successfully argued their bail should be dramatically increased.

Scott Daniel Bahls, 30, of Palm Springs, and Wade Wheeler, 33, of Rancho Mirage, are each charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, unlawfully engaging in a speed contest on a highway, and reckless driving causing injury or death.

Bahls is additionally charged with hit-and-run causing death in the June 18, 2013, crash that killed Barbara Schmitz and seriously injured her husband, Gerald.

Bahls had been free on $80,000 bail and Wheeler on a $200,000 bond, but Deputy District Attorney Daniel Fox moved the court to increase the amount for each to $1 million.

During a hearing Thursday at the Larson Justice Center, Judge James S. Hawkins granted the motion and the men were immediately taken back into custody. A bail reduction hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.

On July 24, a judge ruled there was enough evidence to put the defendants on trial. Both men pleaded not guilty last month during a separate hearing.

On the day of the crash, Wheeler was seen on Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage “revving his vehicle’s engine to gain the attention of the driver of another BMW, Scott Bahls, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant. Witnesses said the two BMWs had been traveling in excess of 70-80 mph at times.”

According to another declaration, witnesses reported seeing both drivers swerving through traffic and “communicating to each other through their windows. Both vehicles were seen either side by side or within a car length apart.”

Wheeler, who was eastbound on Highway 111, crashed his BMW into the passenger side of a vehicle driven by Gerald Schmitz as he was turning left at Dunes View Road, according to authorities. The car launched into the air and rolled several times.

Barbara Schmitz died at a hospital about two hours after the crash. Her husband was seriously injured, according to court documents.

Wheeler had been driving 74 mph before the crash and suffered a broken leg. Bahls, who allegedly left the scene, also was driving faster than 70 mph, according to court documents.

Riverside County District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall previously said prosecutors “carefully examined all the evidence in this case before making our decision on what charges were the most appropriate to file.”

The case involved a “complex crash reconstruction” and many witness interviews, Hall said.