Deputy involved in fatal crash fined $1,000

Palm Coast Observer
News

A deputy who caused a fatal accident while responding to an emergency call in February was fined $1,000 during a Wednesday circuit court hearing.

Deputy Christopher Crego was driving along State Road 100 at around 6:38 a.m. on Feb. 13 with his emergency lights on. A white van, driven by Eduardo Luis Pacheco, 64, was yielding for the emergency vehicle when Crego struck it from behind.

Pacheco’s van flipped and came to rest on the shoulder of the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crego was subsequently stripped of the ability to operate a Sheriff’s Office vehicle. He is still working road patrol, but he was reassigned to a two-man car, which patrols in high-volume areas where calls requiring two or more deputies are often received, according to Lt. Bob Weber, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. Crego’s is the only two-man car within the agency.

The $1,000 fine was imposed by Judge Pope Hamrick, who withheld adjudication, a decision that allows Crego to retain his driver's license.

Now that the courts have finished with Crego’s case, the Sheriff’s Office will launch an internal investigation into the incident, Weber said. Once that investigation is completed, Sheriff Jim Manfre will determine what, if any, further actions must be taken.