Clearwater Police arrested a Largo man after his pickup truck struck a police cruiser that was stopped to assist a disabled vehicle on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
The crash occurred at approximately 11 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2024, and involved four vehicles. Jerry Sandefur Jr., 45, was charged with DUI, DUI with property damage, possession of marijuana, and violation of probation. Sandefur admitted to consuming alcohol, smoking marijuana, and using pain medications before the crash. He was treated at a local hospital before being booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
A Clearwater Police officer had stopped with emergency lights activated when Sandefur’s vehicle hit the cruiser from behind. Sandefur failed to slow down or move over, as required under Florida’s Move Over law.
The officer was treated and released from a local hospital. No other serious injuries were reported among the occupants of the other vehicles.
“Our officer or any of the other people in the other vehicles could have been killed or seriously injured as a result of this man’s egregious driving behavior,” said Police Chief Eric Gandy. “There are so many red flags here -failing to move over or slow down, not to mention drinking and driving, as well as smoking marijuana and mixing in pain pills.”
Chief Gandy emphasized the importance of adhering to Florida’s Move Over law, which mandates drivers to change lanes or slow down when approaching stopped emergency, utility, or disabled vehicles with warning lights. Multiple Clearwater Police vehicles have been damaged or destroyed in similar incidents on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in recent years.
“The law is simple: Move over, slow down,” Chief Gandy said. “Our officers’ lives depend on that.”