An off-duty Washington law enforcement officer has been charged with vehicular homicide in a March crash that killed a 20-year-old motorcyclist in Richland. Prosecutors say surveillance footage, witness accounts and a blood test taken under court order point to severe intoxication behind the wheel.
Court records identify the driver as 35-year-old Sarah Clasen and the victim as Jhoser Vega Sanchez. According to a probable cause affidavit, video captured Clasen leaving a drinking establishment called Moon Palace shortly before 7:30 p.m. She then got into a 2024 Kia, drove a short distance to pick up a pizza from a nearby Domino’s around 7:30 p.m., and minutes later attempted a left turn from State Route 240 onto Village Parkway. Investigators say she failed to yield and struck Vega Sanchez, who had been traveling in a 55 mph zone. Roadway evidence suggested the motorcycle’s speed reached as high as 54 mph before braking, the affidavit says. Local station KREM reported that Clasen told police she believed she was going about 20 mph.
Witnesses described a jarring scene. One said Clasen stepped out of the Kia “without any sense of urgency.” Others told investigators they believed she was trying to leave the area after the collision. Officers who arrived noted slurred speech, watery eyes and the strong scent of alcohol. They also wrote that Clasen’s statements were disorganized and that she struggled to complete a written account of the crash.
Clasen declined to perform field sobriety tests at the scene, the affidavit says. Police obtained a warrant and compelled a blood draw; the result, according to investigators, was a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17—more than twice Washington’s legal limit of 0.08. The filing also recounts witness impressions that Clasen “showed no empathy” while discussing Vega Sanchez’s condition and “laughed casually.”
In her statement to investigators, Clasen said she believed a vehicle with one headlight was approaching as she began her turn and that she felt an impact moments later—an account at odds with the physical evidence that identified a motorcycle. The affidavit emphasizes surveillance footage and on-scene measurements to support the charging decision.
Vega Sanchez was pronounced dead after the crash. His family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clasen in state court, records show, a civil action that will unfold alongside the criminal case.
Vehicular homicide in Washington is among the state’s most serious driving offenses and can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison when alcohol is involved. Clasen is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 24. It was not immediately clear whether she has retained an attorney, and court filings did not include a defense statement.
For residents of Richland, the case lands with a grim familiarity. The affidavit sketches a tight timeline—bar to car to crash within minutes—that echoes the broader public-health reality of impaired driving. What plays out next will happen in courtrooms, where the state will test its evidence and Clasen will have the chance to contest it. For one family, though, the loss is already final.
