Driver charged in traffic death of Klickitat sheriff’s deputy
YAKIMA - A young driver had been smoking marijuana before he got into a head-on crash that left an off-duty sheriff’s deputy dead, state troopers say.
Sean Kearney, 20, of Carnation, was charged Tuesday in Yakima County Superior Court with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, then was released on his own recognizance pending trial.
According to a State Patrol affidavit, Kearney was trying to pass a tractor-trailer on July 18 in a no-passing zone on U.S. Highway 97 about 20 miles south of Toppenish when his new Audi S4 sedan collided head-on with a 1993 Nissan 200SX driven by Klickitat County Sgt. Peter D. Garland.
Garland, 38, who was married and had two foster children, was pronounced dead at Toppenish Community Hospital. Kearney and both of his passengers were taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Kearney and his passengers told troopers they had been smoking marijuana that morning before leaving Carnation for Bend, Ore., according to the affidavit. A plastic bag of marijuana and a glass pipe were found in the Audi, and Kearney tested positive for marijuana use, troopers wrote.
A tractor-trailer driver from British Columbia told investigators he was hauling a load to Portland, Ore., when the Audi attempted to pass him as the deputy’s car was approaching in the other lane. Each car driver tried to avoid the other, but they collided when Kearney veered left and Garland veered right, the truck driver said.
Investigators determined that Kearney was going about 70 mph and Garland about 73 mph shortly before they collided.
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Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com