Off-duty Sanford officer involved in fatal wreck
A Sanford police officer could face charges after being involved in a fatal wreck Friday morning while off duty, authorities said.
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Capt. Reginald Petty was southbound on Horner Boulevard shortly after 8 a.m. when his Cadillac struck the back of a Chevrolet S-10 pickup that had slowed to make a left turn near Hill Avenue, according to the state Highway Patrol.
The collision sent the pickup into the northbound lane, where it was hit on the side by a Toyota SUV, authorities said.
The driver of the pickup, William Thomas, 61, of Oakleaf Road in Sanford, died en route to Central Carolina Hospital. Petty was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the SUV, Nancy Pajdo of Sanford, was uninjured.
Sanford police initially responded to the wreck, but they asked the Highway Patrol to investigate the case once they realized Petty was involved.
Troopers said speed might have been a factor in the crash, but the patrol's accident reconstruction team needs to determine what exactly happened and how fast each vehicle was traveling.
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