Records reveal info on how Ada County detective crashed rushing to aid shot deputy

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The detective with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office who was cited by Idaho State Police for her involvement in a crash in Meridian on her way to aid another deputy was speeding when she lost control of her patrol vehicle, according to investigative reports obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

The newly released reports provide new information about the April crash that left Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Detective Dallas Denney and another driver hospitalized.

Denney, who works as a school resource officer, was driving north down Meridian Road just after 9 p.m. April 20 on her way to respond to a call about a deputy being shot in the line of duty when she entered into oncoming traffic and was struck by Meridian resident Preston Shearer’s Ford F-150, according to several witnesses interviewed by state police for the crash report.

Ada County Deputy Tobin Bolter was shot near Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench, and the 27-year-old died the next morning at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

The crash occurred at South Meridian Road and West Lyra Street. One witness told Idaho State Police Trooper Nicholas Berry that Denney was traveling “pretty fast” down the middle lane when she hit the concrete lane barrier and drove into the southbound lanes, one report said. The Statesman obtained the police reports through a public records request.

Denney told Berry in an interview following the crash that she was performing a traffic stop at Meridian Road and Columbia Street roughly two miles away when she’d heard that Bolter was shot .

Shearer told Berry that he was driving south on Meridian Road when he saw Denney’s vehicle “hit something and lose control,” the report said. “The next thing he remembered was his vehicle impacting the patrol car,” Berry wrote in the report.

Following the crash, Denney was cited for failing to practice due regard. She pleaded guilty to the infraction on May 1 and paid a $90 fine, court records showed. Under Idaho law, when first responders are heading to emergency calls or in pursuit of a suspect, they may exceed the speed limit, run a stop sign or light, or disregard certain traffic laws so long as they are doing so safely.

Shearer filed a tort claim, which informs agencies of an intent to sue, in May that accused Denney, Ada County and the Sheriff’s Office of negligence . Shearer seeks more than $500,000 in damages, which included $40,000 in ongoing medical bills after he suffered a fractured vertebra, injured ankles, a concussion and an injured wrist, the claim said.

Shearer’s vehicle was “totaled” in the crash, the claim said. The report said that Shearer’s truck had “severe front-end damage,” while the Chevrolet Tahoe patrol car had “severe” damage on the passenger side.

“The failure to train and supervise Detective Denney caused her to drive recklessly and negligently, which caused Preston’s injuries,” Shearer’s Boise-based attorney, Jane Gordon, wrote in the claim, adding that the agency’s alleged failures amount “to deliberate indifference.”

Denney was also taken to the hospital and released the next day with a broken pelvis, fractured spine and facial injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office planned to conduct an independent investigation into Denney’s actions to decide whether she violated any department policies and whether “professional discipline” was warranted, the Statesman previously reported. Spokesperson Lauren Montague declined to provide any additional information and said the agency doesn’t provide information about internal affairs investigations outside of confirming that there was one.

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