Trooper Sarah Clasen resigns amid Richland DUI vehicular homicide case
Mar 19, 2026, 9:54 AM | Updated: 10:02 am
Off-duty Washington State Patrol Trooper Sarah Clasen is in custody after being arrested for DUI vehicular homicide. (Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
A veteran Washington State Patrol trooper has resigned more than a year after she was accused of killing a motorcyclist in a drunk-driving crash in Richland, Washington.
In a statement, WSP said Sarah Clasen, 36, will leave her position effective April 1 while she faces a DUI vehicular homicide charge in Benton County Superior Court.
“As her trial is ongoing, we will not be able to comment further on her service in the agency, our processes in these matters, or the events leading to her arrest and adjudication until all court proceedings are concluded,” spokesperson Chris Loftis said.
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Trooper resigns amid ongoing DUI vehicular homicide case
Clasen, a 13-year veteran of the Washington State Patrol, has been on paid administrative leave since the March 1, 2025, crash that killed 20-year-old motorcyclist Jhoser Vega Sanchez.
Prosecutors say Clasen had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, which is more than twice the legal limit, when it was tested about six hours after the crash at an intersection.
According to investigators, Clasen was driving an SUV when she turned left and collided with the motorcycle. Investigators say Vega Sanchez later died at a nearby hospital.
Police say Clasen refused a preliminary breath test at the scene and was arrested.
Police said Clasen initially told investigators she had been home before leaving to get pizza. Prosecutors later said she had been at a restaurant in Richland before the crash.
Clasen began her career with the Washington State Patrol as a cadet in 2010 and became a trooper in 2012. She worked in Yakima before transferring to the Kennewick office in 2019. She later served as a public information officer covering the Yakima-to-Walla Walla region.
Officials said the agency could not move forward with internal discipline while the criminal case was pending. It remains unclear how her resignation will impact her certification as a law enforcement officer in Washington state.
To avoid potential conflicts of interest, the case was referred to Spokane County prosecutors. Clasen was charged about six months after the crash, pleaded not guilty, and remains out of custody without bail.
Her trial was recently pushed and is currently scheduled for Sept. 28.
