DUI driver arrested after crashing into Thurston County sheriff

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A suspected DUI driver was taken into custody after crashing into the Thurston County sheriff’s patrol car in Lacey late Saturday night.

Washington State Patrol Trooper John Dattilo first tweeted about the crash at the intersection of Martin Way East and Hensley Street in Lacey around 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

Dattilo said Sheriff Derek Sanders was driving down Martin Way when the other vehicle crossed over the center line and struck Sanders’ patrol car. Sanders release dashcam of his vehicle that was T-boned in the crash, the “driver then fled the scene, dragging their bumper down the road.”

Officers with the Lacey Police Department found the vehicle involved in the crash down the street unoccupied. A K9 team found the woman suspected of driving the vehicle “hiding in the bushes,” Sanders said.

The woman was taken into custody for DUI and hit-and-run.

Sanders said the passenger in his vehicle at the time of the crash was OK, and he was released from St. Peters Hospital “for normal car crash injuries.” Dattilo said the woman who was taken into custody was not injured.

“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,” Sanders said.

Sanders told KOMO he had a potential job candidate in the car with him as they were patrolling around the area just before midnight.

This isn’t the first time Sanders has been involved in a crash with a suspected DUI driver. On April 2, 2023, he was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center after a crash in the Yelm area.

Investigators said a 29-year-old man in a truck drove through a stop sign and was protruding into the road when the collision occurred. Sanders swerved to avoid the truck, but hit a trailer the pickup was towing.

The driver of the truck was arrested and admitted to WSP troopers he had used methamphetamine the night before. However, troopers said he still showed obvious signs of impairment at the crash scene.

Sanders was released from the hospital and returned to the office on April 13, 2023.