Ferndale Police lieutenant pleads not guilty to charge from April injury crash
The Ferndale Police lieutenant charged with vehicular assault after he allegedly drove through a red light and hit another driver, severely injuring her earlier this year, has pleaded not guilty.
Ferndale Police Lt. William Houston Hatchett, 46, pleaded not guilty to felony vehicular assault Friday, Dec. 20, in Whatcom County Superior Court. Hatchett’s jury trial has tentatively been set for March 30, 2020.
“We deny these allegations and we look forward to our day in court on this matter,” said Joe Kuhlman, Hatchett’s criminal defense attorney.
Hatchett has been employed by Ferndale since Sept. 15, 1999, according to Riley Sweeney, a city spokesperson. Hatchett is still employed, but was placed on paid administrative leave Oct. 25, Sweeney said.
Hatchett is one of 19 officers with the Ferndale Police Department and as of early December, is the only one on paid administrative leave, Sweeney said.
The city of Ferndale announced it had opened an internal investigation into Hatchett’s actions on Nov. 27. The investigation will determine if any rules, policies or procedures were violated. A press release on the announcement stated it’s standard for the city to start an internal investigation pending the completion of a criminal investigation, but that the internal investigation is not dependent on the outcome of the criminal one or any charges.
In response to why the department waited until late November to start an internal investigation, Sweeney said an internal review was started following the April collision but did not give more details on the matter.
“The internal review is considered ongoing but, is on hold pending potential criminal proceedings. The city will closely monitor the criminal process and will assess next steps as further information becomes available,” Sweeney said.
No further updates about the administrative investigation were available Friday.
The Washington State Patrol investigated the collision.
The collision
Around 11:45 a.m. on April 11, Hatchett radioed Whatcom County dispatchers to request aid be sent to his house just east of Ferndale city limits after he received a call from his wife who said she had possibly amputated her finger, according to Washington State Patrol investigative records obtained by The Bellingham Herald.
After requesting aid, Hatchett left the Ferndale Police Department in his city-issued, unmarked 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe and headed for his home. A little more than two minutes later, Hatchett radioed again and said that he had been involved in a collision at the intersection of Main Street and Joe Moser Lane in Ferndale, the records show.
Teresa L. Thompson, 64, had just left the Walgreens on Main Street in her 2016 Subaru Impreza and had stopped at the traffic light at the intersection, waiting to turn left onto Main Street. Once the light turned green, Thompson’s Subaru started making its left turn, but was then struck by Hatchett’s Tahoe, the records state.
A camera Thompson had mounted to the right of her rear vision mirror captured the collision. It shows it was raining that day, and that Hatchett’s emergency lights were on. The camera does not capture audio. Ferndale police vehicles don’t have dash cams, and the city doesn’t have cameras at that intersection, according to Sweeney and the records.
State Patrol investigators determined Hatchett’s Tahoe was driving 59 mph 2.5 seconds before impact, and was traveling roughly 33 to 38 mph at impact, records show. Thompson’s Subaru was traveling almost 16 mph at impact. The speed limit on Main Street is 25 mph.
Thompson suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Several days after the collision, Thompson’s family said she was continuing to recover after she had five surgeries in four days.
Hatchett suffered minor injuries, was taken to St. Joseph hospital and was treated and released the same day. Hatchett’s wife had severed her ring finger while attempting to clean out a ShopVac, but it was reattached and her prognosis was good, according to State Patrol records.
Multiple witnesses said they observed Hatchett driving at high rates of speed ranging from at least 45 mph up to 70 mph on Main Street, as well as changing lanes and entering into oncoming traffic, the State Patrol records obtained by The Herald show. Most said Hatchett had his emergency lights and sirens on.
Washington state law for emergency vehicles states that the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call or in pursuit of a suspected law violator, can go through a red light or stop sign, but only after slowing down as much as is necessary.
The law also states that this does not relieve the driver of the emergency vehicle “from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons” or from the consequences of their reckless disregard for the safety of others.
A review of both Hatchett and Thompson’s 5-year driving records shows neither have citations or collisions, the records state.
