An off-duty Lancaster police officer injured in a car crash early Saturday morning with a driver suspected of drunken driving has died.
Officer Dustin Dodson, 25, died late Saturday night at a Fort Worth hospital. The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. at US 67 and Farm-to-Market 2738.
The Venus Police Department arrested a 22-year-old man Saturday on suspicion of DWI and failure to stop and render aid after a witness led police to the man.
Police said additional charges could be filed.
Dodson, a two-year veteran of the Lancaster Police Department, was returning home on his motorcycle after a duty shift at the time of the crash.
Lancaster Police Chief, Larry Flatt told NBC 5, "Officer Dodson was an extremely young, energetic officer. He was real enthused about being in law enforcement. He told us during his interview it was something he wanted to do all his life. He was a proud servant for the city."
We also talked to Officer Dodson's direct supervisor, Sergeant Mike Fine.
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"He was really ambitious," said Fine. "He wanted to learn as much as he could doing police work. He talked to several different officers daily trying to hone his skills."
"We're a close knit group of people," said Chief Flatt. "When something like this strikes us, it's like losing a member of the family."
Reporter Mark Schnyder contributed to this report.
