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Off-Duty Officer at Fault for Fatal Highway Accident, Authorities Say

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Police say an off-duty Delaware police officer is the person who sparked a fatal highway crash that killed one person.

The News Journal of Wilmington reports state police say Dover police Officer Frederick Pierce rear-ended a car last week when he didn't notice slowed traffic. That crash caused a series of other cars to crash.

Police say Pierce and the car he hit came to uncontrolled stops, and neither Pierce nor driver 44-year-old Catina Isaacs were wearing seatbelts. Isaacs died in the crash. Pierce and another driver were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

State police say they don't believe intoxication is a factor. Dover police say Pierce is on administrative leave. State police and the Delaware Office of the Attorney General will decide if charges will be filed.

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Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.