Prosecutors dismiss charges in suspected DUI crash injuring Thurston County Sheriff

A 29-year-old Tacoma woman, who was arrested and held without bail for allegedly driving under the influence when she broadsided Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders’ patrol car, will have to wait to learn her fate.

Monday afternoon in Thurston County District Court, prosecutors dismissed charges of DUI and hit-and-run, pending toxicology results for drugs and/or alcohol.

The charges were dismissed without prejudice which means prosecutors could refile charges once the results are in. That could take up to one year.

Suspect hits Sheriff Sanders’ patrol car

The Thurston County sheriff is walking with a limp after a suspected drunk driver struck his patrol car and took off early Sunday morning.

This incident comes just 18 months after the sheriff suffered a traumatic brain injury in another crash in Yelm.

More on Sheriff Sanders: Thurston County Sheriff returns to action after terrifying crash

After Sunday’s collision, Washington State Patrol Trooper (WSP) John Dattilo reported Sanders was up and walking. Medics transported him to a local hospital to be checked out.

WSP first reported an oncoming car slammed into Sanders’ patrol car. But it’s unclear whether the car that hit Sheriff Sanders’ vehicle was going in the opposite or same direction.

The sheriff was headed southwest on Martin Way East, near Hensley Street. A state trooper tweeted that the other driver was coming toward him, crossed the center line and struck him. Sanders released a statement of his own on Facebook, indicating the other driver veered into an oncoming lane, then tried to turn in front of him, t-boning his patrol car.

“My passenger is OK, and I just got released from St. Peters Hospital for ‘normal’ car crash injuries,” Sanders wrote in his post. “My car, on the other hand, probably won’t survive. Happy to be alive, happy that my passenger is unharmed and extremely grateful for the response from our regional law enforcement partners to ensure a swift capture, but I’m going to say it again … Washington’s roads are unsafe.”

Datillo tweeted on X that the driver who caused the crash tried to take off, dragging their bumper down the road. Lacey police officers located the fleeing vehicle, unoccupied, down the street.

A K9 dog named “Arco” and his handler found the female suspect hiding in nearby bushes. Officers arrested her.

Sheriff Sanders’ previous crash

On April 2, 2023, Sheriff Sanders was involved in another serious crash. A pickup towing a trailer pulled in front of Sanders’ patrol car on Lake Lawrence Road Southeast in Yelm.

Dashcam video released more than three months later showed the sheriff’s vehicle traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour when he had to swerve to avoid hitting the truck. He could not avoid an impact with the trailer.

Sanders suffered from a concussion as a result of the accident. A medical evacuation helicopter airlifted him from the crash site to Harborview Medical Center. He later tweeted from his hospital bed.

More on Sanders’ crash in 2023: Thurston Co. Sheriff released from hospital after crash with DUI suspect

Sheriff Sanders returned to work in a limited capacity eight days later.

The driver who pulled in front of him in the Yelm crash was not hurt. But investigators at the time suspected him of being impaired. According to KING 5, the driver allegedly told officers he had taken methamphetamine the night before the crash.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Tom Brock is a weekend editor, reporter and anchor for KIRO Newsradio

This story was originally published on October 6, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. It has been updated and republished since then.

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