DeKalb County Sheriff's Deputy Meagan Pettengell testifies at disciplinary hearing

DeKALB – The disciplinary hearing for two DeKalb County Sheriff's employees continued Thursday with testimony from the deputy involved in a high-speed chase that ended in a Kingston man's death.

For the first time since the disciplinary hearing process began, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Meagan Pettengell spoke about the March 30 chase that led to her suspension and has sparked criticism from the sheriff for driving at high speeds without emergency lights on. The Pettengells’ attorneys were not required to call anyone to testify.

Footage from the dashboard camera in Pettengell’s squad car the night of the pursuit showed the officer reached up to 111 mph during the chase. However, it’s not uncommon for officers to reach speeds upward of 100 mph on county roads, Pettengell said.

“There are no other vehicles on the roadway. It’s dark out, but there’s no other traffic. The road is dry. There’s no crops or anything up in the fields that would obstruct my vision,” she said. “To me, these are safe speeds to do.”

DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott has filed a complaint with the department's merit commission that claims the couple violated a number of departmental policies, including not obeying orders to terminate a police chase, not providing medical care to a crash victim, and not ensuring police pursuit policies were adhered to during the chase that led to the death of Jeffrey Nissen, 25, of Kingston.

Scott has recommended that Pettengell be fired and that her husband, Sgt. Ryan Pettengell, be suspended for 60 days without pay. Both have been suspended without pay since June 23.

The hearing reconvened Thursday after a monthlong break during which Meagan Pettengell had a baby. Laura Scarry, one of the Pettengells’ attorneys, first called DeKalb County Sheriff’s Sgt. Van Bomar to testify Thursday.

“We have to go over the speed limit all the time, especially when trying to pursue a speeder,” Bomar said.

Although Bomar might expect a patrol officer to exceed 100 mph during a pursuit, he also might expect them to slow down once the pursuit was terminated, he said.

Throughout the course of the hearings, Meagan Pettengell has been criticized for not immediately leaving her car after witnessing the crash and for not bringing a medical kit with her when approaching Nissen, who had been ejected from his vehicle.

It was for her own safety that the deputy was hesitant to approach the man, since he was known to be combative with police, Meagan Pettengell said.

“From what I [could] see with him laying on the ground, I did not see any visible injuries,” she said.

Meagan Pettengell has reviewed the video captured on her dashboard camera more than 10 times and, all things considered, stands by her actions that night.

“I was in the car, and I know that what I was doing was safe for me. I was 12 weeks pregnant. It was my last night on patrol before I was going to go to an alternate assignment up at the jail. I would not have done anything to jeopardize my life or the life of my child,” Meagan Pettengell said. “I don’t think that what I did put Nissen’s life in jeopardy. I think it was his own decisions that he made that put him in the situation that he was in.”