Published on Tuesday, January 23, 2007
in the WPLG News

FHP Seeks Man Who Injured State Trooper

PLANTATION, Fla. -- The Florida Highway Patrol held a news conference Tuesday asking for the public's help in finding a man who is accused of slamming his pickup truck into a trooper's patrol cruiser, seriously injuring him last year.

Robert Dimmie Jr. is charged with two counts each of driving under the influence with serious bodily injury and DUI with property damage, and one count of DUI with injury.

Ever since the state attorney's office of Broward County filed the arrest warrants Jan. 12, Dimmie has been nowhere to be found.

"We've been unable to locate Mr. Dimmie by responding to various addresses that we've obtained on his possible whereabouts," FHP Lt. Roger Reyes said.

One year ago Monday, trooper Darryl Haywood Jr. pulled over a motorist on Florida's Turnpike and was in his patrol cruiser when Dimmie's pickup truck veered onto the shoulder and rammed it from behind. The impact pushed the patrol car into a Hyundai that Haywood had just pulled over.

Haywood suffered a severe concussion and has not returned to duty.

Haywood's father was killed in October 2004 when his cruiser crashed into a tree on Interstate 4 in Volusia County. He was trying to stop a speeding motorcyclist when a tire on his cruiser blew out.

Haywood Jr. is the youngest person to become a state trooper. He was 20 at the time of the crash.

Broward Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to Dimmie's arrest. He is believed to be in the tri-county area.

Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.