Former Pierce County Major sentenced to 3 months in DUI crash involving pregnant woman, 3 children

A former Major in the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was sentenced to three months in jail after pleading guilty on Tuesday to charges from a DUI crash that resulted in six people being sent to the hospital last year.

Initially, Dickerson pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular assault with DUI in November 2025, after prosecutors said he was driving his personal truck while he was off duty in Graham and under the influence when he crashed into an SUV occupied by three children, their parents, and a grandparent, according to KIRO 7.

On Tuesday, Dickerson pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular assault with DUI and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer.

An internal investigation found that multiple deputies who responded to the crash had either prematurely turned off their body-worn cameras or didn’t turn them on at all during the response.

Dickerson also failed to remain at the collision scene for the full investigation and refused to take a field sobriety test. Three hours after the crash, his blood alcohol content was measured above the legal limit at .09, according to charging documents.

Dickerson will serve 12 months of community service, followed by two years of probation, in addition to his three-month jail sentence.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office major collides with SUV

According to court documents, investigators said Dickerson, a 25-year veteran who oversees all sheriff’s detectives, failed to yield the right of way at the intersection of 132nd Avenue E. and 288th Street E. and collided with an SUV.

“When Dickerson entered the intersection, his Dodge Ram pickup struck the passenger side of the Ford Expedition that was traveling west on 288th,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Pierce County Loren Halstrom wrote in an incident report based on Washington State Patrol (WSP) investigations. “The Ford Expedition rolled onto its side and stopped against a fence. The Dodge Ram stopped in a ditch.”

Pierce County prosecutors now say a deputy at the scene, who was described as a technical collision investigator, instructed Dickerson to remain at the scene until WSP Trooper Shannon McKenzie arrived to investigate. However, Dickerson left the scene after his wife picked him up.

“The deputies informed Trooper McKenzie that Dickerson had been picked up by his wife and transported to MultiCare Emergency at 132nd and SR 161,” Halstrom said in a Probable Cause Declaration.

Court documents also said when McKenzie asked if Dickerson showed any signs of impairment before leaving the scene, deputies said no.

“When asked about signs of impairment, deputies on scene informed Trooper McKenzie that they did not observe any and stated there were no odors of intoxicants,” Halstrom stated. “When asked if Dickerson was speaking normally, they advised there was no slurring in his speech.”

Later, at the Urgent Care, WSP said they found several indicators of impairment and arrested Dickerson on suspicion of DUI.

“While speaking with Dickerson about the collision, troopers noted several indicators of impairment, including bloodshot, watery eyes, and a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath,” a WSP press release said.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said they requested WSP to take over the crash investigation, based on the severity of the collision and Dickerson’s position with PCSO.

SUV involved in crash had 6 occupants, including pregnant woman

The six occupants in the Ford Expedition were a 27-year-old woman who was driving and is seven months pregnant, her 30-year-old husband, her 57-year-old mother, and her three children, ages 8, 4, and 3, according to a news release from WSP. The 57-year-old woman suffered several broken bones. The other occupants appeared to be uninjured.

The investigating trooper, McKenzie, also looked inside Dickerson’s Ram pickup truck to check for valuables before the truck was towed.

“The truck appeared to be cleaned out of valuables,” Halstrom said. “There was a storage compartment in the rear seating area that was empty.”

In a statement, a Pierce County spokesperson said, “The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirms that one of our majors was arrested over the weekend in connection with this incident. This is a deeply concerning matter, and our thoughts are with everyone impacted.”

Contributing: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

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