Was Pierce County sheriff’s major impaired before wreck? Court doc has details
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Prosecutors seek more time to decide charges in Major Dickerson DUI crash case
- State Patrol took over probe after deputies initially found no signs of impairment
- Crash injured two, involved seven people
Update, July 16: The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Wednesday it would continue to review evidence before deciding whether to charge Sheriff’s Office Major Chadwick Dickerson with a crime for Saturday’s two-car crash near Graham that Dickerson is suspected of causing while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Washington State Patrol’s investigation of the collision is ongoing, said Adam Faber, a spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He said an arraignment hearing set for Wednesday afternoon, when Dickerson would have entered a plea to any criminal charges, would be canceled.
Court-imposed conditions on Dickerson’s release from jail will expire automatically, Faber said. Those included that Dickerson not have contact with victims or witnesses to the incident and not consume alcohol. Faber added that prosecutors have asked that Sheriff Keith Swank order any witnesses who work for the Sheriff’s Office to not have contact with Dickerson to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
Original story: A court document filed Monday by Pierce County prosecutors reveals more information about a two-car crash that Sheriff’s Office Major Chadwick Dickerson is suspected of causing Saturday while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
Sheriff’s deputies were the first to respond to the collision Saturday afternoon southeast of Graham, but the investigation was turned over to the Washington State Patrol.
Deputies at the scene told a state trooper they did not observe any signs that Dickerson was impaired by alcohol, but when a different trooper spoke with Dickerson at the hospital, the trooper reported an “obvious” odor of intoxicants and noticed he had watery and bloodshot eyes.
Dickerson reported that he had consumed two vodka sodas while golfing but didn’t feel like he was impaired. After refusing voluntary field sobriety tests, the trooper arrested him on suspicion of DUI and obtained a warrant for a blood draw, which was done nearly four hours after the collision occurred.
That’s according to a probable cause document the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed Monday asking for more time to gather information before deciding whether to charge Dickerson with a crime.
His booking charges were changed from DUI to vehicular assault after the State Patrol learned a passenger in the other vehicle, a 57-year-old woman, had fractured ribs and a fractured back, according to the court document. Dickerson reportedly had three fractured ribs, a hematoma and a bruise.
Dickerson, 52, spent the night in jail Sunday on suspicion of vehicular assault, a felony, and was released Monday afternoon on the order of Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday. Dickerson has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for nearly 25 years and has since been placed on administrative leave.
Carly Cappetto, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, told The News Tribune on Monday that a decision about Dickerson’s employment would be made once “due process is over and a verdict is announced.”
“If he is found guilty, he will no longer have paid leave and will be terminated,” Cappetto said.
Details of collision involving sheriff’s office major
The collision occurred at 132nd Avenue East and 288th Street East, an uncontrolled intersection, meaning that it doesn’t have any stop signs or traffic signals. Initial reports from the Washington State Patrol said Dickerson failed to yield and was struck by an SUV carrying six people. In a subsequent press release Monday afternoon, the State Patrol said Dickerson’s pickup collided with the SUV.
Both vehicles ended up in the same ditch and had front-end damage, according to the probable cause document. Dickerson’s pickup was missing its front-left wheel, and the SUV was on its passenger side with the windshield broken out.
Dickerson allegedly told a trooper that he was T-boned. Before the trooper arrived, according to the probable cause document, he approached a technical collision investigator with the Sheriff’s Office who was speaking with a sergeant and “stated that he had taken his eyes off the road, momentarily, when he entered 288th Street East and the collision occurred.”
The collision scene appeared to have been cleaned up before the trooper arrived. According to the probable cause document, all of the collision debris was placed in the bed of Dickerson’s pickup, and the truck “appeared to be cleaned out of valuables.” There were also no firetrucks or medical aid on scene when the trooper arrived.
The Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday that the collision occurred at about 3:45 p.m. The probable cause document states the sergeant was first to arrive at the scene at 4:26 p.m., and a trooper was notified to respond at 4:54 p.m. The State Patrol’s press release said the Sheriff’s Office asked them to respond at 4:43 p.m.
Based on the severity of the incident and Dickerson’s position with the Sheriff’s Office, the collision investigator determined the investigation should be conducted by an outside agency. According to the probable cause document, the investigator got the approval of Major Jake Greger to have the State Patrol take over. Greger oversees the Sheriff’s Office foothills, mountain and peninsula detachments.
Deputies told the trooper who responded to the scene there were no serious injuries from the collision, and the State Patrol initially reported that only Dickerson and a 57-year-old woman who was a passenger in the SUV were transported to a hospital.
The State Patrol clarified Monday afternoon that all six people in the SUV were transported to area hospitals by fire personnel as a precaution, but only the 57-year-old woman and Dickerson were injured. The occupants of the SUV included a 27-year-old pregnant woman who was driving, her husband, mother and her three children ages 3, 4 and 8.
Dickerson reportedly was picked up by his wife and taken to a MultiCare Emergency care center in South Hill. According to the State Patrol, he was transported to Tacoma General Hospital after he was arrested.
Sheriff Keith Swank welcomed the outside investigation in comments to news reporters Monday. He said he was unavailable when the wreck occurred Saturday and handing it off to the State Patrol was the “best decision.”
“That decision is best to have an independent agency review it so that we can be open and transparent and pass it off to somebody that will do a thorough investigation,” Swank said. “The State Patrol, this is their expertise so they’ll do a great job on it.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 5:36 PM.
