Deltona, FL - The suspect in a hit-and-run accident that happened in Deltona on Monday night is facing additional charges after he resisted arrest and hit and injured a Volusia County Sheriff's deputy in the process.
Rhett Andrew Dickerson, 22, was the subject of a hit-and-run investigation stemming from an accident that happened just before 7 PM on Monday. The victim reported that his vehicle was struck by a truck at the intersection of E. Normandy and Saxon Boulevards in Deltona. No one was hurt in the wreck, but the truck fled the scene.
The victim told deputies that he followed the truck as it drove away, told the suspect driver to stop, and took a photo of the suspect vehicle's license plate. The photo led investigators to a home in the 1000 block of Parnell Court. A deputy was in the process of arresting Dickerson for leaving the scene of the accident when the suspect refused to follow commands, slipped out of his shirt, and escaped the deputy's grasp. That's when Dickerson allegedly hit the deputy in the face, injuring his left eye in the process. The 22-year-old then ran away at around 7:37 PM.
VCSO's Air 1 helicopter, with help from K-9 officers, searched the area for Dickerson. He was found a short time later hiding in the house at 1079 Parnell Court. He was convinced to give himself up just before 9 PM.
The injured deputy suffered a laceration under his left eye, which is still swollen. Officials say that despite his injuries, the deputy is alert and in good spirits. He was being treated for his injuries at Saxon Medical Center in Deltona.
Dickerson was booked into the Volusia County Jail and is being charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, and leaving the scene of a crash.
(Dickerson's mugshot courtesy the Volusia County Jail)
Photo courtesy Jacob Barone's Law Enforcement Photography and Flickr.com.
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