Retired Carson officer arrested in drunken accidents

A retired Carson City jail lieutenant will appear in Dayton Justice Court on Oct. 12, following his arrest in a drunken driving incident Saturday in which three people were hurt.

Dwight David Dimit, 51, was booked into the Lyon County Jail by the Nevada Highway Patrol on suspicion of two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a civilian vehicle, hit-and-run accident involving injuries, eluding a police officer, reckless driving with wanton disregard, drunken driving and failure to render aid. Dimit's bail was set at $143,396.

According to a report from the Nevada Highway Patrol, Lyon County deputies responded to a report of a wrong-way eastbound driver on Highway 50 East about 9 p.m. Saturday when they came upon the suspect vehicle, a 2003 Dodge Ram pickup, heading toward them on Dayton Hill.

Deputies in three separate patrol cars had to swerve to avoid the vehicle, the report states. The officers then turned around and attempted to stop the Dodge, but it failed to yield and began swerving, striking a pickup from behind and injuring three women.

The driver of the Dodge then swerved again into oncoming lanes, missing several vehicles, before it lost control and ended up in dirt and sagebrush of the southbound shoulder near Highway 50 East and Flowery Lane.

When a trooper approached the Dodge, both airbags were deployed and Dimit was allegedly sitting in the driver's seat refusing to answer any questions or submit to a field sobriety test.

When asked if he'd been drinking, the report states Dimit replied, "I had a lot to drink."

Susan Vacca, 56, of Stagecoach; Mignon Cooper, 64, and Letha Rogers, 72, both of Silver Springs, were taken by ambulance to Washoe Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

There were no injuries reported by the occupants of another vehicle believed struck by Dimit prior to law enforcement's involvement.

Dimit was allegedly uncooperative with officers at the Dayton Sheriff's Department Substation and several officers had to hold him down so a phlebotomist could obtain blood for testing, according to the report.

No formal charges had been filed against Dimit as of Tuesday. He is free on bail.

Dimit was recognized as "Outstanding Law Officer" by the Carson City Sheriff's Department in 1983. He retired from Carson City in 2002 after 25 years with the Sheriff's Department.

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.