Bail of $25,000 was set on Monday for the man from Roy, who was allegedly involved in a Sunday afternoon crash with Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for injuries he sustained in the two-vehicle collision and released later that night.
Zachary A. Roberge, 29, is facing a vehicular assault charge and admitted to consuming methamphetamine on Saturday night, less than 24 hours before the collision, according to Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Kevin Hill. Vehicular assault is a class B felony and, Hill said, it’s considered a violent offense.
While Roberge’s attorney said the defendant had no criminal history nor “any history of anything similar to this or anything at all,” Hill granted the state’s request for strict conditions of release, a no contact order with Sanders outside of his official position and the bail amount.
“One who does consume methamphetamine and then drives provides substantial danger,” Hill said.
The judge added, “I’m not sure a court order is more powerful” than the draw to use meth, “based on what we know” about the drug.
An arraignment hearing was set for 9 a.m. on April 18.
The Washington State Patrol was brought on to investigate the crash. Roberge was allegedly driving a Ford Ranger when he collided with Sanders, who was in his patrol vehicle, at the intersection of Lawrence Lake Road Southeast and 153rd Avenue Southeast in Yelm.
According to the state patrol, Roberge was uninjured and was taken into custody for DUI by troopers at the scene.
In a call with The Chronicle, the sheriff’s office did not confirm whether Sanders was responding to a call at the time of the incident, but did say he’d been on duty throughout the day.
Since being sworn into office at the beginning of the year, Sanders, 29, has had an active public presence through social media, news releases and statements, events and continuing to patrol while taking on his administrative duties.
His outgoing presence has quickly made him a popular character throughout the greater Thurston County area. When he was involved in the collision on Sunday afternoon, radioing it in himself and prompting dispatch to airlift him to Harborview Medical Center, posts about the incident from the sheriff’s office and local news outlets received thousands of engagements.
At 11:25 p.m. Sunday, Sanders was released from the hospital shortly after a Facebook post where he wrote: “Thank you all for wrapping your arms around me. I’m OK.”
