Glamorous female cop is arrested for shocking act while off-duty

A glamorous Washington State trooper who made a name for herself urging local drivers to remain attentive behind the wheel has been arrested after she allegedly struck and killed a motorcyclist while under the influence of alcohol.

Sarah Clasen, 35, a public information officer for the Washington State Patrol, was taken into custody Saturday night, shortly after Richland police officers responded to the scene of State Route 240 near Horn Rapids, KOMO News reports.

Officers had received a call about a motorcyclist struck near a residential neighborhood at around 7.40pm, but were the second to arrive on the scene, behind the Washington State Patrol, according to KIMA TV. 

There, they found motorcyclist Jhoser Sanchez, 20, mortally wounded.

First responders transferred him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the Tri-City Herald reports.

When troopers later learned that Clasen was one of their own, the Washington State Patrol turned the investigation over to the local police department, which arrested her and booked her into the Benton County Jail.

The Richland Police Department requested she be held at the jail on a 72-hour hold for vehicular homicide.

She was off-duty at the time of the crash and was driving her personal vehicle, WSP Chief John Batiste noted. 

In an affidavit obtained by the Tri-City Herald, Richland Police Officer Steve Heid claimed Clasen smelled of alcohol when he questioned her about the collision.

He detailed how Clasen claimed she was on her way home after picking up pizza from Domino's and was making a left turn into the neighborhood.

She allegedly said she saw a single light, presumably from the motorcycle, but believed it was a car missing a headlight.

It wasn't until she made her turn that she felt the collision, which she said seemed to have come out of nowhere, according to the affidavit.

'Sarah told me that the motorcyclist was definitely going faster than the posted speed limit,' Heid wrote, noting that the damage to Clasen's SUV did not align with her story.

She reportedly said she was nearly finished making the turn when the crash occurred, but most of the damage was to the right front passenger corner of the vehicle.

'She would have just begun to turn at the time of impact,' Heid wrote. 

'Also, the motorcycle was almost completely under the front of her vehicle as it rested on the side of the highway.'

The officer went on to write that he believed Clasen had an unobstructed view of oncoming traffic and 'an attentive driver would have been able to see the motorcyclist prior to the collision.'

When he then asked Clasen to perform sobriety tests or submit to a breathalyzer test, she refused.

When Heid asked her a second time, Clasen allegedly said she 'knows how it works.'

Heid then asked Clasen for clarity, to which she allegedly mentioned a hypothetical situation involving having a glass of wine.

'I responded at this time by asking her if she had a glass of wine earlier,' Heid wrote. 'Sarah told me that she was not going to answer that question.'

The crash comes just over a year after Clasen urged members of the public to be more attentive when they are driving amid an uptick in collisions. 

She attributed the rise in crashes in an interview with NBC Right Now as 'speed, following too closely, distracted driving and of course being impaired.'

The trooper said the bottom line is to just pay attention.

'I know it's easy to get distracted by cellphones, radios or occupants in your vehicle,' she said at the time. 

She then urged the public to remain 'alert and having that be the most important thing you're doing. Keeping you and the people around you safe.'

Clasen was released on her own recognizance Monday evening, against the request of Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger, as Benton County Superior Court Judge said she is confident the trooper will make her court dates, according to Aiden Whitaker, a reporter for KEPR Action News. 

But as part of her release, Clasen is required to wear a blood alcohol monitor bracelet and install an ignition interlock device on her car.

She has also been placed on administrative leave after 14 years with the Washington State Patrol. 

'The Washington State Patrol offers our sincerest condolences to the victim and their loved ones,' Chief Batiste said in a statement Monday.

'I have every confidence that the Richland Police Department will investigate this case with great care and professionalism.'

He also expressed gratitude that there were no further injuries and vowed that the State Patrol will cooperate fully with the investigation.

'We are reminded in times like these that law enforcement officers are not immune from tragedy nor from personal accountability and we urge all motorists to always drive with focus, care and caution.' 

Clasen is due back in court on March 12.