A Pierce County Sheriff's Office detective, Major Chad Dickerson, has been arrested following a suspected DUI crash that left an SUV on its side and sent a woman to the hospital. KING5 reports that the incident occurred over the previous weekend, leading to Dickerson's custody on suspicion of vehicular assault and DUI. He is slated to appear in a Pierce County courtroom Monday afternoon.
The rollover crash involved a collision with an SUV carrying three children—ages 3, 4, and 8—and three adults. According to an account by The News Tribune, the SUV was hit when Dickerson, who was driving a 2015 Ram 2500 pickup, failed to yield at an intersection. While the SUV was struck and rolled onto its side, Dickerson's vehicle came to a stop in the ditch.
KIRO 7 notes that among the injured was a 57-year-old woman who, along with Dickerson, was transported to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment. Remarkably, no one else in the crash sustained injuries. In a statement obtained by KIRO 7, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office expressed their condolences, "Our hearts are with the victims and the family during this incredibly painful and uncertain time. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and all those harmed in the incident."
It has been reported that Sheriff's Office deputies were first on scene, but they promptly requested the State Patrol to take over the investigation for a "fully transparent and unbiased investigation," as mentioned in The News Tribune. The Sheriff's Office has confirmed that Dickerson was off-duty at the time the crash occurred. The full implications of the incident for Dickerson and the PCSO are yet to unfold as the legal process advances.
