Deputy tries to make traffic stop, 19-year-old allegedly speeds, turns off lights and crashes
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JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 19-year-old has been charged after he allegedly sped away and turned off the lights in his truck when law enforcement tried to make a traffic stop. He allegedly then crashed his vehicle into a river.
Derick Evan Whittington was charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. The incident happened in November, and the case was filed in March. A warrant for his arrest was issued in March and served last week.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, in November, deputies saw a red Dodge pickup going southbound on U.S. Highway 20 with an aftermarket light bar on in the center of its grill.
A deputy pulled behind the truck to make a traffic stop. The truck got off the highway at an exit. The driver, later identified as Whittington, ran the stop sign turning east on Yellowstone Highway, court documents said.
When the truck ran the stop sign, the deputy turned on his patrol vehicle’s overhead lights. Whittington gained speed and started going over 70 mph in a 50 mph zone, then all of the truck’s lights suddenly turned off. The truck started going 99 mph, according to court documents.
The deputy stopped pursuing the truck due to road conditions and high speeds. The deputy kept watching and saw the truck may have stopped.
The deputy drove to the end of Yellowstone Highway, where the Snake River is, and saw no signs of the truck. The deputy left the area and checked the Menan Lorenzo boat dock nearby in case Whittington went there to hide out. The deputy did not find the truck. However, dispatch advised the truck ended up crashing into the river just north of Yellowstone Highway, documents said.
The driver identified himself as Whittington. He was stuck in the truck. His right leg was possibly broken, and he couldn’t move it. EMS came to the scene to help take him out. Whittington was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
“I asked Derick why he didn’t stop for me when I initially turned on my lights. Derick said his throttle stuck, and he couldn’t stop,” a deputy wrote.
The vehicle’s passenger was already out of the truck and sitting nearby. The passenger told deputies there was beer in the truck. He said all he remembered was he saw the lights from cops. He didn’t know why Whittington didn’t stop, and then they crashed, and he hit his head a few times, documents said.
The passenger additionally said there was a .22 caliber pistol in the truck. There was a second firearm in the truck, according to Whittington. The passenger was transported to Madison Memorial Hospital for further medical attention.
The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine, along with a minimum of one to three-year driver’s license suspension.
He was given a $10,000 bond, and he has since posted it. Whittington is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jefferson County courthouse.
Though Whittington has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.