GRAHAM, Wash. — A former Pierce County Sheriff’s Office major pled not guilty to two counts of vehicular assault with DUI today.
Police say Chad Dickerson caused a crash in July that sent six people to the hospital.
On Monday, a judge allowed him to wait for his next court date at home, but with strict rules that he cannot drink any alcohol or travel outside Pierce, Thurston, or King counties.
Our KIRO 7 crews were inside the courtroom; they say emotions were incredibly tense as about two dozen of Dickerson’s friends and family showed up for the hearing.
Some of them tried to block camera crews from coming into the courtroom, using their bodies to block the door when the court opened.
Court documents show that in July, former Pierce County Sheriff’s Major Chad Dickerson was driving his personal truck in Graham when he failed to yield, crashing into an SUV carrying three children, their parents, and a grandparent. Police say one of the kids and the grandparent were hurt, but all six victims were taken to the hospital.
Documents show Dickerson didn’t stay on scene during the full investigation and refused field sobriety tests.
More than three hours later at a hospital, charging documents show his blood alcohol level tested at .09, above the legal limit.
They also show Dickerson later told troopers he had two vodka sodas during a golf outing before the crash, adding he “didn’t feel impaired.”
Dickerson’s attorney spoke for him in court, asking the judge to limit the restrictions placed on him.
“He has done an alcohol evaluation and attended a DUI victim impact panel. He is taking this case very seriously. He is 52 years old, he is married... a long-standing member of our Pierce County community,” the attorney said.
Prosecutors say many of the Pierce County deputies who responded to the crash turned off their body cameras or intermittently muted them while on scene, specifically when near Dickerson.
Normally, when a deputy is involved in an incident, protocol shows the Washington State Patrol should be called in to investigate.
Charging documents show WSP was not called until after Dickerson had left the scene with his wife and daughter.
They also show that those family members took things from inside and outside the crashed truck.
The judge is allowing Dickerson to wait for his trial at home, with travel and alcohol restrictions, weekly mandated check-ins, and no contact with victims or deputies who worked on the case.
His trial is set for January 22, with one appearance before that on December 11.
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