Saturday was a cold, clear night in Bonney Lake. Police chiefs, sergeants and officers from departments across Pierce County congregated at the Public Safety Building for a debriefing with the Tacoma Pierce County DUI and Traffic Safety Task Force. The meeting preceded an all-hands-on-deck emphasis patrol, dedicated to the memory of Gary Slick, the victim of an intoxicated driver.
Departments represented included Bonney Lake, Sumner, Milton, Fife, University Place, Fircrest, Pierce County Sheriff and others. Though the patrol focused on Bonney Lake, officers branched out to surrounding areas in the county. They were equipped with flyers detailing the life and death of Slick, which were given to every person pulled over during the patrol.
Slick’s family members were unavailable Saturday, but they were present Friday afternoon at a memorial sign unveiling near the intersection of 214th Street and state Route 410 East, where the fatal collision took place.
Kathi DePiro, Slick’s sister, said she is proud of the sign and wants people to know her brother was a family man, who was killed while simply walking down the street. She hopes the crash site will serve as both a solemn warning to those who drive under the influence, and as a joyful reminder of the good times her brother brought to the world.
“From Little League to the day he was taken from us, Gary was the person you wanted on your team. He would love (the DUI patrol) he was always the designated driver and drank coke,” DePiro said.
Slick was hit from behind at 3:30 p.m., Aug. 11, 2012. The vehicle was driven by James Southard, Jr., who possessed a prior vehicular homicide conviction while driving under the influence in 1999.
Methamphetamine and over 170 prescription drug pills, including methadone hydrochloride and lorazepam, were found in Southard’s vehicle at the scene of the crime in Bonney Lake, according to court documents.
On Nov. 1, 2013, Southard pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
“This is another unfortunate example of why drugs and driving don’t mix” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Because of the exceptional sentence, this defendant should never be on our roads again.”
The DUI emphasis patrols are meant to prevent offenders, like Southard, from destroying more lives.
Saturday’s patrol was organized by a handful of dedicated individuals, said Bonney Lake Police Chief Dana Powers. She cited Bonney Lake Sergeant Rob Hoag, Fircrest Police Chief John Cheesman, and DUI Task Force Coordinator Gloria Mansfield-Averill as instrumental to the project.
The task force works; Pierce County has seen a 42 percent drop in DUI-related deaths over the last three years. The goal remains zero deaths due to intoxicated driving, Powers said.
“We still have a lot to do,” Powers said. “Each person we take off the road who is drunk or on drugs, is one more life we are saving. As a parent, I dread that knock on the door and as officers, it’s our mission to prevent it for others.”
In addition to the emphasis patrol, police chiefs and Liquor Control Board members participated in the Home Safe Bar program the same night.
The purpose of the program is for law enforcement to engage in proactive and reactive conversations with bar owners and tenders in regards to the role they play in keeping the public safe.
The myriad of police presence was an aggressive move to commemorate a life lost, but the roads will only remain safe if each community member does their own part to make them so. Designate a driver and report suspected DUIs to your local police department.
