No alcohol monitoring ordered for WSP trooper accused of fatal DUI in Richland
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Judge approved release terms without alcohol monitoring for Trooper Clasen.
- Clasen pleaded not guilty to DUI vehicular homicide in fatal March collision.
- Defense attorney cited prior compliance and safety concerns in monitoring decision.
A Washington State Patrol trooper accused of killing a motorcyclist while driving drunk pleaded innocent Wednesday and was ordered to stay away from alcohol pending her trial.
But in an unusual move, a Benton County Superior Court judge did not require her to install an electronic monitoring device on her car to prevent her from driving if she drinks.
On Wednesday, Sarah L. Clasen, 35, was in Benton County Superior Court to face one count of vehicular homicide while driving intoxicated. Clasen remains on paid leave from the WSP.
Part of the hearing was to set the conditions she would need to follow before the trial.
Frequently, in felony cases involving alcohol and driving, defendants are required to have a device that randomly tests whether they are drinking, and also another that requires testing their breath for alcohol before they can start their car.
Neither was set as a condition for Clasen’s release based on a recommendation by Spokane Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Edwards and her defense attorney Scott Johnson. The case was referred to Spokane County by Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger.
Tri-Cities Judge Joe Burrowes initially appeared surprised about the lack of a recommendation for alcohol monitoring equipment.
“ ... Do you have a position on the alcohol monitoring device?” Burrowes asked the deputy prosecutor.
After Edwards said there were no concerns about the community’s safety, Johnson added that alcohol monitoring isn’t a condition required by Washington state to release someone before trial.
“I would also add this case has been pending for six months and my client has had no (pretrial) conditions during those six months and has faithfully followed basically what is in front of the court,” Johnson argued. “I think there has been demonstrative compliance.”
While Burrowes could have added the requirement for monitoring, he followed the recommendation of the attorneys.
Clasen also will be allowed to travel throughout Washington and to Arizona, though it wasn’t made clear why she needed to travel there. She also won’t be required to hand over her passport.
She was off-duty and in her personal car when she headed home after spending four hours with her husband at a Richland bar, according to court documents.
On Wednesday, the family of the 20-year-old who was killed, Jhoser Vega Sanchez, filled two rows of courtroom benches and quietly watched her first court appearance.
Deadly crash
On March 1, Clasen was driving a Kia Telluride on Highway 240 about 7:30 p.m. when she was making a left turn from Highway 240 into the Horn Rapids neighborhood in north Richland where she lives.
Sanchez, who also lives in that area, was in the oncoming lane.
Clasen told investigators she was driving about 20 mph when they collided. He was pronounced dead at Kadlec Regional Medical Center.
The off-duty trooper allegedly told other WSP troopers and officers at the scene that she was returning home after buying a pizza.
However, Richland Officer Steve Heid became suspicious that she may have been drinking after interviewing her and getting her statement. He said her eyes were a little glossy, he could faintly smell alcohol, and she had multiple misspellings on her short written statement about what happened.
In addition, she refused to answer Heid’s questions about whether she had been drinking. She would only say that she didn’t feel impaired.
She was arrested, and a blood sample taken six hours later, after a court order was obtained, which reportedly showed she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%. That’s over twice the legal DUI limit of 0.08% in Washington.
The Richland police investigation found Clasen spent nearly four hours at a Richland bar with her husband prior to the crash.
Reports obtained by the Herald under the Public Records Act show the couple were regulars at the bar inside a former Chinese restaurant.
Her attorney previously said the case is more complex than it’s been made to appear.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM.