A Prince William County police sergeant is accused of driving under the influence on I-95 and causing a crash that seriously hurt a woman, officials say.
Michael A. Pope, 47, of Triangle, Virginia, was arrested for DUI on Thursday. Virginia State Police said he caused a crash that left a woman with life-threatening injuries and stopped traffic for hours overnight.
The Prince William County Police Department said Monday that Pope is a sergeant in the operations division and has been a member of the police department for nearly 20 years.
Pope was placed on administrative leave, and an administrative investigation is underway, the department said. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
The crash involving a Dodge Ram pickup truck, a sedan and two tractor-trailers occurred at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
Southbound traffic had slowed to a stop on southbound I-95 in Dale City. Pope, driving the truck, was "unable to stop in time" and rear-ended an Acura TSX, police said.
The impact of the initial crash caused the Acura to hit two tractor-trailers.
The woman driving the Acura was taken to a hospital for serious injuries. Pope had minor injuries, was arrested and was taken to the county jail.
Some drivers headed south on I-95 in the area were stuck on the highway for up to five hours overnight, First 4 Traffic reported.
An investigation is ongoing.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
