Washington State Patrol trooper in jail after fatal crash involving motorcycle in Richland

A Washington State Patrol trooper was in jail after a crash that killed a motorcycle driver Saturday night on Highway 240 in Richland.

Sarah Lee Clasen, 35, a trooper who also serves as the Tri-Cities area spokesperson for WSP, was listed as an inmate of the Benton County jail Sunday morning. 

She was being held on suspicion of negligent vehicular homicide in the death of a Richland man.

Jhoser Sanchez, who was driving the motorcycle, died, according to Dennis Morris, the Benton County chief deputy coroner.

Crash details were not immediately available, but Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste released a memo saying that Saturday evening a trooper was involved in a collision resulting in a death. There were no other injuries, he said.

The trooper was not on duty and was driving their personal vehicle, according to Batiste.

The Richland Police Department posted that the driver of a car involved in a crash with a motorcycle about 7:40 p.m. Saturday on Highway 240 near Horn Rapids Road was suspected of driving under the influence and booked into jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

Sanchez was taken by ambulance to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is planned by the coroner’s office.

An independent investigation of the collision is being done by the Richland Police Department, according to Batiste.

The Washington state Department of Transportation closed Highway 240 at milepost 26, which is about three miles northwest of the Jadwin Avenue intersection. Westbound traffic could not proceed past Kingsgate Way, but a detour was available for eastbound traffic.

Batiste said he was confident that Richland police would investigate the case “with great care and professionalism” and that WSP would cooperate with the investigation.

“We are reminded in times like these that law enforcement officers are not immune from tragedy nor from personal accountability,” he said in the memo.

This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 10:45 AM.