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Driver accused in deadly Port Orchard hit-and-run known for 'erratic' driving

Dominic Landric Dixon, 33, was charged Tuesday with felony hit-and-run for leaving the scene of the fatal crash that killed 34-year-old Katherine Phillips who had stopped to help a stranded driver.
Dominic Landric Dixon, 33, was charged Tuesday with felony hit and run.

PORT ORCHARD — A Kent man accused in a fatal hit and run near Port Orchard was known by his fellow ferry commuters on an early morning Southworth ferry to be an erratic driver, according to charging documents

Dominic Landric Dixon, 33, was charged Tuesday with felony hit and run for leaving the scene of the fatal crash that killed Katherine G. Phillips, 34, on March 22 as she attempted to pour gasoline into the tank of the stalled car on Sedgwick Road.

A detective wrote that when Dixon was arrested Monday at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where he works, he said he did not know if he had struck anyone and noticed damage to his car but did not contact law enforcement because he had struck curbs before.

When asked about the collision, the detective wrote that Dixon responded: “I don’t know what happened.” Dixon also told investigators if he thought he hit somebody he would stop.

Phillips was driving home from working a shift for the ferries when she saw a Nissan Pathfinder that had run out of gas and stalled on the road. Phillips and another passerby stopped to assist. They pushed the Pathfinder out of the roadway but were unable to get it completely off the road. The other passerby lit flares and placed them around the Pathfinder to warn oncoming traffic.

At 4:45 a.m., Philips and the Pathfinder’s driver bought a gas can and gas and at a nearby gas station and returned to the Pathfinder, just east of Peppermill Place.

The Pathfinder driver told detectives she was crouched holding a flashlight as Phillips was crouching down, trying to line up the nozzle with the gas tank when she noticed a line of cars drive by. Phillips was struck and the Pathfinder driver was knocked down. She got up and tried to flag other passersby for help. Medics were called at about 5 a.m. Phillips was declared dead at the scene.

A woman who regularly commuted on the ferry reported to investigators the day after the crash that she saw a gold Chevrolet Impala in front of her – which she knew as a fellow ferry commuter – drive over the road flares while other cars were avoiding them. The woman said she was a few hundred feet behind the Impala and didn’t see it strike anybody.

As the woman passed the Pathfinder she only saw one person standing up. The woman said her regular route often has her following the Impala into Bremerton, but after passing the Pathfinder the Impala was no longer in front of her.

“She believed it may have turned off somewhere or taken a side street,” the woman told investigators.

A ferry worker told investigators he knew the Impala from that particular run because it typically only has 12 to 15 cars on it and also because several times he has woken up the driver upon arrival in Southworth, according to court documents. (see below)

The day of the crash, another commuter contacted investigators to say he did not see the collision but had stopped to help after Phillips was killed. The man, who rides a motorcycle on the ferry crossing, told investigators about a gold Impala he had observed several times driving erratically.

The man reported he had even asked deckhands to allow him to drive off the ferry after the cars – motorcycles usually drive off the ferry before cars – in order to avoid being in front of the Impala. He said two weeks before he wrote down the Impala’s license plate number, which he gave to investigators, because he considered calling 911 to report the dangerous driving.

On March 23, using the license plate number, investigators tracked the Impala to Dixon’s residence in Kent. Investigators checked the Impala and found it had front passenger side damage and a headlight that appeared to be recently replaced. Parts from the exterior of the vehicle also matched broken parts left at the scene.

After impounding the car and further inspection, investigators noted a large scuff on the passenger side mirrors that appeared to have a “blood or reddish substance” on it, according to documents.

Detectives checked video and found the Impala drove off the Southworth ferry at 4:50 a.m. and arrived at the shipyard's Burwell Gate at 5:15 a.m. with only Dixon inside, according to court documents.

During an interview with investigators Monday, Dixon denied knowledge of his involvement in a wreck and denied seeing a disabled car or flares on Sedgwick Road.

‘When asked why he did not stop, (Dixon) said, ‘I have no clue. If I thought I hit someone I would've stopped.’”

As investigators placed Dixon under arrest, they seized two cell phones.

Info Dixon Dominic 1810049118 Redacted by KING 5 News on Scribd

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