An off-duty Pierce County sheriff’s major was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular assault over the weekend after he crashed his personal vehicle into a vehicle carrying six people including a pregnant woman and her three children, Washington State Patrol said in a statement Monday.
Chadwick Dickerson, the Pierce County major, was driving his own Dodge Ram truck going northbound on 132nd Avenue East when he struck a Ford Expedition going westbound on 288th Street East in Graham at 3:46 p.m. Saturday, WSP said.
Dickerson leads the sheriff's office's criminal investigation division and has been with the department for 24 years, according to the sheriff's office's website.
Dickerson has not been charged, and The Seattle Times does not typically name people who have been arrested but not charged. However, Dickerson is a high-ranking leader in the Pierce County sheriff's office. In a statement, Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank said the office had placed one of its majors on administrative leave; the statement did not name Dickerson specifically.
WSP said the Expedition rolled onto its side into a ditch after it was struck, while Dickerson’s truck came to rest in the same ditch.
Pierce County sheriff’s office deputies responded to the rural intersection 40 minutes later. Once they realized Dickerson was involved, they called the State Patrol to take over the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, WSP said.
A 27-year-old pregnant woman who was driving, her 30-year-old husband, her 57-year-old mother, and three children, ages 8, 4 and 3, were taken to a hospital by first responders, WSP said. Dickerson was taken to urgent care by a family member.
The 57-year-old woman suffered broken bones but others appeared to be uninjured, WSP said. Dickerson had several broken bones as well, but he has since been cleared from the hospital.
WSP said it noted that Dickerson had bloodshot watery eyes, and a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath. Dickerson refused to take field sobriety tests, WSP said.
“Our hearts are with the victims and the family during this incredibly painful and uncertain time,” Swank said in his office's statement. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and all those harmed in the incident.”
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