It was a self-proclaimed “rough night” for Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders on Sunday, Oct. 6, as while he was driving down Martin Way around midnight, a vehicle veered into an oncoming lane and tried to turn in front of his car — T-boning Sanders in the process.
The driver, according to a Facebook post written by Sanders, dragged their bumper down the road while fleeing the scene. TCSO deputies, Lacey Police officers, K9 Arco and his handler with the Olympia Police Department answered Sanders’ call for help on the radio, he wrote. Lacey Fire District Three and Thurston County Medic One also responded to the crash.
The fleeing vehicle was eventually located unoccupied “just down the street” by Lacey officers. Sanders wrote that a K9 track was successful in locating the suspect, a female, who was hiding in some bushes.
According to Sanders’ Facebook post, Washington State Patrol is handling the collision and criminal investigation, and the driver is in custody for driving under the influence and hit-and-run.
“My passenger is OK, and I just got released from St. Peters Hospital for normal car crash injuries. My car on the other hand probably won’t survive,” Sanders wrote on Facebook at 2:15 a.m. on Sunday. “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.”
