Pierce County sheriff’s major charged in DUI rollover crash that injured family

Pierce Co Major charged in serious DUI crash

A Pierce County Major accused of vehicular assault and DUI in connection to a serious crash involving a family's SUV has officially been charged.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed two counts of vehicular assault–DUI against Major Chadwick Brooks Dickerson, a senior official with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with a July 12 crash in Graham that injured multiple members of a family, according to newly filed court records.

The charges were filed Oct. 22 in Pierce County Superior Court, each alleging Dickerson operated a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and/or drugs and caused substantial bodily harm. The named victims in the counts are D.H. and B.A.

What the court documents allege

According to probable cause documents, at around 3:45 p.m. on July 12, Dickerson, driving a Ram pickup, failed to yield at an uncontrolled intersection at 132nd Avenue East and 288th Street East and struck a Ford Expedition that had the right-of-way. The Expedition rolled and came to rest north of the intersection; Dickerson’s truck came to rest in a ditch.

Neighbors ran to help at the rural intersection and pulled family members from the SUV after the collision.

The Expedition carried three children—ages 8, 4 and 3—their parents, and their grandmother, D.H., who suffered a fractured vertebra and at least six displaced rib fractures.

Medical records cited in the declaration say B.A. sustained a "left flank traumatic hernia," "bruising/abrasions to the lower abdomen," and an ankle injury with tenderness and swelling.

Evidence of impairment cited by investigators

According to the declaration, Dickerson told a Washington State Patrol trooper he had "two vodka and sodas while golfing" and that his last drink was around 1 p.m. He declined field sobriety tests, stating, "I don’t feel like I was impaired." He also asked, "Are you going to read me my rights, because you’re asking me incriminating questions?" and later, "What are you, what’s your probable cause?"

A search-warrant blood draw at 7:30 p.m.—about 3.75 hours after the crash—returned a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.091, according to toxicology results referenced in the filing. Investigators noted an odor of alcohol and bloodshot, watery eyes.

Supervisor's body camera turned off

The declaration outlines how responding sheriff’s personnel handled the scene before state troopers arrived. It states that a supervisor’s body-worn camera was turned off for about 14 minutes while he spoke with Dickerson and had several phone conversations; the collision debris field had been cleared by the time WSP arrived; and Dickerson left the scene with family members before WSP could question him there.

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