Cheyllyn Collinsworth is seen in this image provided by the Centralia High School student newspaper, The Columns. Collinsworth was among the top 25 Students at Centralia High School honored at a scholarship luncheon earlier this month.
Cheyllyn Ranae Collinsworth died in a car crash last May.
Dana Kennedy, left, a student at Centralia High School, and her mother hug Debbie Collinsworth after a balloon release in memory of Collinsworth’s daughter, Cheyllyn, on Thursday afternoon in Centralia. Cheyllyn Collinsworth, 18, was killed in a car accident last week on Old Highway 99 at Oregon Trail Road near Grand Mound.
Debbie Collinsworth, center, is surrounded by family and friends as they make their way down to a balloon release in memory of Collinsworth's daughter, Cheyllyn, on Thursday afternoon in Centralia. Cheyllyn Collinsworth, 18, was killed in a car accident last week on Old Highway 99 at Oregon Trail Road near Grand Mound.
Centralia High School students and community members release balloons in honor of Cheyllyn R. Collinsworth on Thursday, May 24, 2017 in Centralia. Collinsworth, 18, was killed in a car accident last week on Old Highway 99 at Oregon Trail Road near Grand Mound. Collinsworth was recognized as one of the top 25 graduating students from Centralia High School at the Rob Fuller Scholarship Luncheon earlier this month. She would have graduated on June 9.
Numerous Thurston County law enforcement agencies plan to conduct a countywide emphasis patrol Saturday — the marijuana holiday 4/20 — and dedicate the patrol to Cheyllyn Collinsworth, a Centralia teen killed in a 2017 collision with a driver who had been smoking marijuana. The patrol will focus on finding and arresting impaired drivers.
Cheyllyn Collinsworth’s mother, Deborah Collinsworth, said she learned the statewide agency Target Zero will dedicate patrols to victims of impaired driving crashes. As the court proceedings revolving around her daughter’s death unfolded, she said she became interested in having a patrol held in memory of her daughter.
“To be a victim of this type of crime, and having to go through the process, it’s a very long process, it’s very frustrating, but I learned a lot. … The message I want to get out is, consuming marijuana is just like consuming alcohol. If you’re going to participate in drinking or marijuana, plan for different modes of transportation, because it kills,” she said.
In January, Donald Siegler of Rochester was sentenced to five years for causing the collision that killed Cheyllyn Collinsworth.
Thurston County’s Target Zero Program Manager Jessie Knudsen said that typically, the prosecuting attorney’s office’s victim coordinator will contact her when he happens upon a case that would be appropriate for a dedicated patrol.
Currently, all the law enforcement agencies in Thurston County are involved with Target Zero except for the Lacey Police Department. Knudsen said she hopes that department will be coming aboard, too.
Target Zero’s goal is to eventually bring the number of deaths on the road down to zero, through a combination of high-visibility patrols and public education.
“It’s a great opportunity to see the collaboration that happens among the agencies, because they’re all working toward one common goal, and it’s just incredible to see the cooperation there and how they all work together,” she said.
During a countywide patrol, she said that each department has their own say in how to patrol their own jurisdictions.
“We really want to be highly visible to people, letting them know we have enforcement out — they are looking for these behaviors,” said Knudsen.
Deborah Collinsworth, who works for WSP in the criminal records division, said she will address officers and troopers involved before they go out on patrol. A briefing will be held to honor her daughter.
She also plans to go for a ride-along with one of the officers to see what the job looks like from their perspective. The patrol will be on her birthday, she said.
She said she hopes to take part in this type of outreach in the future, although her job might make that a challenge. Already, she, Knudsen and Cheyllyn Collinsworth’s aunt went to different pot shops in Lewis and Thurston counties and passed out flyers to the owners. The flyers told Cheyllyn Collinsworth’s story and encouraged everyone to plan ahead so they don’t use drugs and drive. She said the shop owners and workers said they were honored to hang the flyers on their walls.
