Did Caldwell City Council Member Lie on Witness Statement After Crashing His ISP Vehicle?

Did Caldwell City Councilman Brad Doty lie on a witness statement when he crashed his Idaho State Police vehicle in 2022?

Idaho Dispatch received a tip about a crash on November 21, 2022. Doty was a sitting city council member who worked for ISP at the time. The tip we received had the crash report, photos, and doorbell camera footage of the incident.

Doty was traveling East on Scout Ridge St in Nampa with his ISP 2021 Dodge Durango when he ran into the back of a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. Doty did not appear to be excessively speeding, and the police report says that Doty was not intoxicated or impaired.

Doty was cited for failing to maintain his lane.

There is some controversy about Doty’s statement to the police in the report. Doty wrote the following on the statement (wording and punctuation appear as written on the statement):

“I was driving East on Scout Ridge S Rd in Nampa (Caldwell) ID
A vehicle pulled out from a driveway and turned East I pulled away
from the curb and struck parked Toyota Tacoma parked eastbound on Scout.”

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The statement from Doty seems to indicate that he was swerving to avoid a vehicle that pulled out of a driveway, and, as a result, he hit the parked car.

However, the video footage seems to contradict Doty’s statement to the police. No vehicle in the footage pulls out from a driveway that Doty would have needed to swerve away from.

Here is the footage Idaho Dispatch received from the incident (story continues below):

Doty does not hit the trash cans next to the curb on the same side of the road as the Tacoma. The video seems to show Doty drifting toward the curb after he clears the trash cans and eventually into the white Toyota.

Another moving vehicle is at the beginning of the footage obtained by Idaho Dispatch. Still, that vehicle is well ahead of Doty’s vehicle and poses no risk of hitting Doty or of Doty hitting it. It’s not clear where that vehicle came from as it is already moving when the footage begins; however, even if the car came from the home where the footage came from, the vehicle was several houses down the road when Doty hit the Tacoma.

The image above shows Doty’s vehicle when he hit the parked vehicle and where the other moving vehicle was at the moment of impact. Is this the vehicle that Doty was talking about in his statement?

Idaho Dispatch contacted Doty to ask if he stands by the statement he gave to the police. Doty replied by stating:

“I’m sorry but I do not trust a summarized email. If I wrote a statement then of course I stand by my written statement. I accepted responsibility for this crash and it has been resolved.”

And for full disclosure, here is the entirety of our email to Doty:

“Councilman Doty,

My name is Greg Pruett with the Idaho Dispatch. 

I am working on a story about a crash you were involved in in 2022 when you were a city council member and working for ISP. 

In the crash report, your statement indicated that a vehicle pulled out from a driveway, and you had to pull away from the curb in order to avoid the vehicle.

The camera footage shows no vehicle leaving a driveway, which would have required you to swerve your vehicle. You appeared to move around the trashcans in the road and then drifted into the Toyota. 

However, there does not appear to be any video footage of a vehicle leaving a driveway, as described in your witness statement. 

Do you stand by your statement? Is there another possible explanation for the crash?

Thank you for your time. 

-Greg”

What are your thoughts on the crash? Does Doty’s statement match what the video footage shows?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Tags: Brad Doty, Caldwell, Crash, Idaho State Police, Witness Statement

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