Hudson Valley police officer has resigned from his position after causing a rear-end crash
By: -----
Dutchess County, NY - The collision happened on July 6 at approximately 1:14 p.m. on Route 199 near the intersection of Lake Road and Stissing Mountain Road in Dutchess County.
Officer Brian Johnson, a recent police academy graduate who was still in his department-mandated field training program, was driving patrol vehicle 7K165 westbound on Route 199 with Officer Aaron Fantroy as a passenger.
George Hill of Pine Plains was a bit ahead of the police cruiser. He came to a complete stop in the westbound lane, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before turning left into his driveway.
Johnson told investigators he was scanning the right shoulder of the roadway and didn't realize Hill's vehicle had stopped until the last moment. The patrol car struck Hill's Lincoln from behind, damaging both vehicles.
Dash camera footage reviewed by both the New York State Police and Pine Plains Police confirmed the account. The video showed Hill's brake lights and left turn signal were clearly illuminated before the collision.
In the interest of transparency, Pine Plains Police leadership asked the New York State Police to take over the crash investigation. The department also launched its own internal administrative review.
Investigators determined Johnson was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash. A review of body-worn camera footage found no evidence he was distracted by a cell phone or the in-car laptop immediately before the collision.
The investigation concluded the crash was non-criminal in nature. Driver inattentiveness was cited as the primary contributing factor.
Hill initially declined medical treatment at the scene. Both officers were evaluated on site and transported to Northern Dutchess Hospital.
Johnson was treated for minor injuries and released that evening. Fantroy sustained more serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transferred to Albany Medical Center for further treatment.
He has since been released and is recovering at home.
During the course of the investigation, Officer Johnson voluntarily resigned from his position.