No Charges for Driver who Fatally Struck Officer Dale Woods

( Colerain Twp ) - "From the moment Dale was injured, our goal was to have this investigated fairly and have justice for Dale. Sometimes, justice comes in different forms and it doesn't always mean that someone gets arrested." That's one of the statements made by Colerain Township Police Chief Mark Denney in a Friday afternoon news conference about the death of Officer Dale Woods.

The 46-year-old was struck January 4 as he was responding to an earlier crash on Colerain Ave. Even though he was wearing a reflective vest, he was struck by an oncoming pickup truck as he was collecting traffic cones.

Investigators with the Cincinnati Police Department were brought in to go over the scene and the evidence. In the weeks that followed, they recreated the scene of that rainy night, even having firefighters spray water to imitate conditions at the time. "I was in the truck, and we drove to the scene... with the rain and everything... the visibility was poor at best," said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters as he announced that no charges will be filed against the driver of that pickup.

One of the pictures from the recreation of the scene that night

The above picture is from the recreation of the scene that night. The green/yellow dot in the center is an officer representing where Officer Dale Woods was standing on Colerain Avenue.

It's not believed that the pickup truck driver was speeding or impaired in any way at the time. Chief Denney says Woods' death has been tough on his department, but he doesn't want it to be in vain. "Last week, I appointed a six-member committee to take this investigation from the minute Dale came to work that day until the last minute of his life, and I want everything reviewed," said Denney.


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