By Shereen Siewert
Justice officials say no charges will be filed against a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy involved in a chase that ended in a fatal crash in June.
At approximately 5:24 p.m. on June 2, a reported stolen vehicle was being actively pursued by two Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department squad cars. The vehicle being pursued was driven by 27-year-old David J. Burdick, who was traveling westbound in rural Lincoln County when he veered off the roadway and crashed at the intersection of County Hwy. Q and Joe Snow Road, becoming airborne before striking a tree.
Burdick was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
DCI officials say deputy Dean Dokken, who has one year of experience, was pursuing Burdick when he crashed.
In a legal opinion, Lincoln County District Attorney Galen Bayne-Allison said Burdick’s death was not caused by Dokken.
“At no time did Dokken’s pursuit of Burdick bring their two vehicles into such close proximity that Burdick would have risked precipitating a collision,” Bayne-Allison wrote. “Burdick’s choice to continue to operate the vehicle at a high rate of speed was Burdick’s own voluntary choice.”
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is the agency in charge of investigating the chase and crash.
