On the night of March 8, 2013 Orcas Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin O’Brien hosted a private party for several employees of OIFR to celebrate the hiring of mechanic Jack Delisle. In the early morning hours of March 9, after departing the party, Delisle wrecked the car at the intersection of Terrill Beach Road and Mt. Baker Road.  No one was injured in the crash. When a fellow co-worker, who also attended the party, drove past the crash he stopped and assisted Delisle by towing the car to the Eastsound Fire Station. Later in the morning, sometime after 2:30 a.m. Assistant Fire Chief Mik Preysz called the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident. Later that morning, after 11:30 a.m.,  Delisle signed over a statement to Deputy Steve Johns maintaining that he was sleepy and swerved the car to avoid a deer.  At that point no charges were filed against the driver.

In October, Undersheriff Bruce Distler became aware of public concern about the handling of the investigation conducted by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office over the accident because of a Public Records requests from the community. From October to early November, Distler interviewed Delisle, Presyz and others including OIFR volunteers, personnel and islanders who attended the party.

In the report, Delisle admitted to eating food and consuming alcohol. As to his state when he drove away from the party he explained “that navigating the fire chief’s driveway was difficult and he rationalized that his safe navigation of that driveway would indicate he was not impaired at that time.”

“The last time I saw Jack at my house that evening, I observed no signs of impairment,” O’Brien told the Sounder. “I went to sleep hours before Jack left the house. If I had any idea that he was impaired, as a friend, I would have taken his keys and not let him drive.”

In the report,  Distler also questioned Delisle about his initial statement of swerving to avoid a deer. In response,  “Delisle looked confused and could not provide an answer.” He later told Distler that he got tired and may have dozed off.

This discrepancy and a recording of a 911 call are two matters of public concern.

A recording of the phone call to the Sheriff’s Office from Preysz has been recently been circulating through email. In the recording Preysz asks the dispatcher to have a deputy contact him directly. When asked if he is reporting a suspected DUI, Preysz responds by requesting that the sergeant on duty to call him directly.

O’Brien told the Sounder that Preysz told him that he did not have enough information to determine if there was a suspected DUI.“Which makes sense why, when prompted by the dispatcher, he asks to talk to the supervisor himself,” said O’Brien.He added that  the best case scenerio would have been for Delisle to be assessed for impairment immediately after the accident. “If there was suspected impairment, Jack should have been required to consent to tests of his blood-alcohol level,” O’Brien said. “It is always best to have as much information as possible.”

On Jan. 9, 2014, Delisle was issued a citation charging Negligent Driving in the Second Degree, with a fine of $550.

O’Brien said the incident will also be addressed internally.

“After reviewing the Sheriff’s report, we are taking appropriate actions regarding any violations of District Policies and Procedures,” said O’Brien.