Cyclist struck, killed in May 25 collision

By Lauren McSherry, Town Crier Staff Writer

The Los Altos resident who allegedly killed a 72-year-old cyclist in a hit-and-run accident last May is scheduled Dec. 14 to enter his plea to charges of driving while intoxicated, child endangerment and vehicular manslaughter.

Craig Borlik had been slated to issue his plea Nov. 21, but the hearing was continued. He could face 4-12 years in prison, according to court documents.

Borlik, 40, allegedly ran a red light on West Charleston Road in Palo Alto when he struck and killed Robert James Beebe, a Sunnyvale resident, as he biked through a green light.

Borlik admitted to police that he drank a half pint of vodka and six beers before driving his wife’s Ford Explorer, according to files. His blood alcohol level was .23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit in California.

Earlier that day, he had picked up his 3-year-old son from a babysitter and bought alcohol from a liquor store on San Antonio Road. He planned to drive back to his home in Los Altos, but went in the opposite direction, according to his statement to police.

After striking Beebe, Borlik allegedly fled the scene of the collision by foot, leaving his son strapped in a child-safety seat in the SUV.

He passed out about 100 feet away in the front-yard bushes of a townhouse where a witness found him, according to files.

When police asked Borlik how his vehicle had received its crumpled hood and broken windshield, he said he blacked out and that something terrible had happened; he believed he was somew here near First Street in Los Altos, according to the police report. Two empty vodka bottles were found tucked in one of the vehicle’s seat pockets.

At the time, Borlik’s wife was in Hawaii, having been called out of town by a family emergency.

Borlik was placed in a transitional sober living home in July and is expected to complete a 12-step sobriety program in January.