A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested in connection with a two-vehicle crash that left the other driver with a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull, broken left arm, back, ribs and pelvis, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The crash happened May 27 as Deputy Brandon S. Hegele was on the lookout for a vehicle of interest in a felony case, the report states.
Investigators determined the deputy was driving at 104 mph in a 50 mph zone shortly before impact.
He struck a car driven by 60-year-old Harry Deshommes of Royal Palm Beach who had just made a U-turn on Southern Boulevard near Cleary Road, according to the report.
The deputy used his emergency lights and siren to drive through red lights at intersections but then turned them off and, while speeding, made numerous lane changes to pass other drivers, the report said.
The affidavit also said two Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office supervisors had given order over a police radio for deputies not to pursue or stop the vehicle of interest in the felony case. They also told deputies to “keep a good distance from the suspect vehicle,” the report states.
Hegele has been charged with reckless driving causing serious bodily injuries to another.
He’s currently on paid administrative leave from the sheriff’s office.