Update: Plea date moved up for ex-Pierce Co. major accused of hurting 2 in crash
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Plea date set for morning of June 10 in DUI vehicular assault case.
- Crash injured an 8-year-old and his 57-year-old grandmother.
- Dickerson faces a 3–9 month standard sentencing range if he pleads guilty as charged.
Update, April 10: The plea date for retired Maj. Chadwick Dickerson was moved up to the morning of Tuesday, April 14. Court records state that prosecutors and the defense have reached a plea agreement.
Original story: A June plea date has been set for the former head of the Criminal Investigation Division in the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office in his DUI vehicular assault case. The date signals that now-retired Maj. Chadwick Dickerson could be preparing to plead guilty.
Dickerson was allegedly impaired by alcohol last summer when he crashed his pickup into an SUV carrying a family of six southeast of Graham while off duty, injuring an 8-year-old boy and his 57-year-old grandmother and sending the rest of the occupants to a hospital. According to police reports, Dickerson spent the morning golfing in DuPont and dropped a friend off at their home before the wreck.
He was arrested at a medical facility after the collision. In November, Dickerson pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony DUI vehicular assault causing substantial bodily harm.
The plea date in the case is scheduled for the morning of June 10, according to the county’s LINX judicial records system.
It’s unclear whether prosecutors have offered Dickerson any kind of plea bargain in exchange for a guilty plea. Plea deals can sometimes include reduced charges due to evidentiary issues and an agreement that prosecutors will recommend a certain punishment at sentencing. Judges, however, can impose any sentence they wish in alignment with the law.
The plea date could also be delayed or canceled if something comes up before Dickerson changes his plea in front of a judge.
Adam Faber, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, acknowledged that the plea date was on the calendar but declined to comment further, citing the state’s rules of professional conduct for lawyers concerning trial publicity.
Dickerson’s defense attorney, Jared Ausserer, of Puget Law Group, did not immediately respond Monday to attempts to contact him for comment.
With no criminal history, Dickerson, 53, would face a standard sentencing range of three to nine months in jail if he pleaded guilty as charged, according to Washington’s sentencing guidelines manual.
Dickerson was placed on paid administrative leave while the Washington State Patrol investigated the two-vehicle collision, and he retired after prosecutors filed charges. The Sheriff’s Office initially responded to the incident and later turned it over to the State Patrol due to the severity of the incident and Dickerson’s position.
Sheriff Keith Swank, who appointed Dickerson to lead the Criminal Investigation Division in January 2025, announced last week that an investigation of deputies who went to the collision scene found that a deputy’s camera was turned off or not activated at all during critical stages of the response, along with other lapses.
According to charging documents, Dickerson’s blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.091 when his blood was drawn more than three hours after the incident. The legal limit in Washington is 0.08.
Dickerson was treated for three broken ribs and other injuries at a MultiCare Emergency facility in South Hill the afternoon of the July 12, 2025, incident. According to State Patrol reports, Dickerson told a trooper who responded that he had golfed that morning at Eagles Pride Golf Course.
Detectives tracked down a receipt for a golf cart rental and 18 holes that was purchased at 8:50 a.m., according to an investigation report. A manager estimated his tee time would have been between 9 and 9:45 a.m. The manager was unable to locate a credit card purchase for alcohol and mentioned that the alcohol cart accepts cash and card payments. Investigators attempted to contact the cart operator in August but were unsuccessful at the time.
Prosecutors wrote in charging papers that one friend who golfed with Dickerson that morning reported that Dickerson drank two mixed vodka drinks and two alcoholic seltzers. The person also allegedly said Dickerson had at least one more drink at his residence after golfing.
After dropping his friend off at home, Dickerson drove his 2015 Dodge Ram 2500 north on 132nd Avenue East, he reportedly told troopers at the medical facility. The collision occurred at the intersection with 288th Street East, which prosecutors have described as an uncontrolled intersection, meaning that it doesn’t have any stop signs or traffic signals. Prosecutors have said the vehicle Dickerson hit, a 2022 Ford Expedition, had the right-of-way.
As Dickerson entered the intersection, according to State Patrol reports, the pickup’s passenger-side fender struck the driver’s side fender of the Ford traveling west. The collision caused the Ford to roll onto its side.
Data taken from Dickerson’s vehicle showed that he was going 24-29 mph in the five seconds before the collision, and other data indicated he was taking a left turn, according to a State Patrol report. The Ford was going 47 mph five seconds before and steadily increased to 51 mph at impact.
An individual who went to the scene later told State Patrol detectives that he saw the “causing driver” chugging water and walking like he was injured, according to an investigative report.
Dickerson joined the Sheriff’s Office in August 2000. He worked as a patrol deputy and a student-resource officer for 11 years before he was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division as a narcotics investigator. He was promoted to detective in 2014 and later detective sergeant. He also spent a decade as a medic in the U.S. Army and the Washington Army National Guard.
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 2:07 PM.
