KENNEWICK, Wash. – Six months have passed since Washington State Patrol Trooper Sarah Clasen was involved in a crash that resulted in the death of 20-year-old Jhoser Sanchez.
Despite the time elapsed, Clasen has not yet been charged. The incident occurred on March 1st when Sanchez was hit and killed while riding his motorcycle.
Clasen, who was off-duty at the time, had a reported blood alcohol level of 0.17 percent, more than double the legal limit. Our station received numerous messages requesting updates on Clasen’s case.
David Garavito, an assistant law professor at the University of Washington, explained that there are multiple factors at play, making it difficult to pinpoint a single reason for the delay. “It’s always hard from a public standpoint to try to piece apart when things are bad faith versus OK maybe this is a just more complex investigation,” he said.
Garavito noted the importance of not holding someone indefinitely without trial, stating, “We just don’t know when it’s set to go off. In our country it’s viewed as okay you’re holding someone indefinitely without trial and we don’t like that.”
While the investigation continues, Garavito mentioned factors like laboratory backlogs and public defender availability do not seem to be affecting Clasen’s case.
There are also two separate cases involving Clasen. Sanchez’s family filed a civil suit against her and her husband, Trent Clasen. Legal documents state the couple spent hours drinking at a restaurant before separately returning home.
Garavito emphasized the importance of maintaining public pressure on the case, “The best way in order to ensure that is to continuously put on public pressure in order to emphasize we really do care about this.”
While he was hesitant to speculate on the exact reasons for the delay, Garavito stressed the importance of transparency and cooperation with law enforcement.
