Tuscaloosa deputy, Patrick Bailey, has been placed on paid leave after he was involved in an accident that took place on Friday November 15th. Bailey was arrested by state troopers on DUI charges after his personal vehicle struck an 18-wheeler near exit 79 on I-20/50 southbound around 3:30 a.m. The driver of the 18-wheeler was treated for minor injuries and released from DCH Regional Medical Center. Bailey was released from jail on a $500 bond.
Chief Deputy, Ron Abernathy, reports that Bailey will face disciplinary actions once the investigation is completed. Patrick Bailey has been with the Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s department for almost two years.
Records show that Patrick Bailey has also been involved in the following accidents since 2006:
- The first accident took place in 2006 when Bailey’s personal vehicle flipped on its side after hitting an embankment in Jefferson County.
- The second accident happened in September 2012 while Bailey was on County Road 2 near Hillview in Tuscaloosa County. A police report says that Bailey swerved his police car in an attempt to avoid a dog that had wandered into the road. He made a controlled stop after striking the dog and waited for a state trooper to arrive on the scene.
- The third accident occurred in March 2013 when Bailey attempted to respond to a suspected robbery. He lost control of his patrol car and hit a guard rail on New Watermelon Road. The police report shows that Bailey blamed the crash on slick road conditions.
These three accidents didn’t involve alcohol or lead to any charges against Bailey.