The trial of a former Washington State Patrol trooper has been pushed back a fourth time.
The trial for Sarah Clasen, 37, was delayed again by a month and a half to Nov. 16. She was charged with vehicular homicide six months after the March 2025 death of 20-year-old Jhoser Sanchez Vega.
Clasen served as a public information officer for WSP in the region.
Her attorney Scott Johnson told the Tri-City Herald that they’re still waiting for government records before moving forward with the case.
This is the fourth time Clasen’s trial has been postponed. It was first scheduled for December, then moved to February before being bumped to May 18, then to Sept. 28.
Clasen was returning to her Horn Rapids home after spending a few hours in a bar with her husband after she got off duty.
As she turned left from Highway 240 to Village Parkway, her Kia Telluride collided with a 2002 Suzuki TL1000 motorcycle heading east. Vega Sanchez, 20, was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where he died. Investigation into trooper’s crash
Richland police officer Steve Heid became suspicious that Clasen may have been drinking after interviewing her at the scene.
She refused to take a preliminary breath test at the scene and was arrested.
The Washington State Patrol’s toxicology laboratory determined that her blood-alcohol level was 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit, when her blood was drawn six hours after the crash.
While she initially told investigators that she had been home that night and left to get pizza, police learned that she had been at The Moon Palace Restaurant in Richland, where she and her husband were regulars. Delays in the case
While Clasen was arrested following the crash, she was released on her own recognizance and not initially charged as the investigation continued. The handling of her case was referred to Spokane County to avoid potential local conflicts of interest with prosecutors.
She was charged six months later with DUI vehicular homicide, pleaded innocent to the charge and remains out of jail without bail.
Clasen resigned from her position with the state patrol in April.
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