Aggressive
drivers, watch out
YAKIMA (Thursday
2-24-00) --The Washington State Patrol now has a
specially equipped, unmarked patrol vehicle on the
road to spot aggressive drivers in the
Yakima-Benton-Franklin County area.
"The vehicle is part of
the WSP's nationally recognized Aggressive Driving
Apprehension Team (ADAT) program," said
Lt. Jim
Keightley.
He said the ADAT
vehicle will be randomly assigned throughout the
district.
"It will greatly
enhance our ability to observe, document, and
apprehend aggressive drivers. The ADAT vehicle is
equipped with the latest in audio-video recording
technology," Keightley said.
Aggressive driving is
"driving in a manner which endangers, or is likely
to endanger persons or property. It can include
excessive speed, following too closely, unsafe lane
changes, failing to signal, unsafe passing, and
other violations.
"Generally, an act of
aggressive driving would include two or more of
these types of violations," Keightley
said.
He said aggressive
driving leads to "road rage."
"We define that as an
act of revenge or retribution against the operator
or occupants of a vehicle by the driver or
occupants of another vehicle," Keightley said. He
said the ADAT program has been very successful in
the Puget Sound Region.
One injured
in 2-car crash
WAPATO (Thursday
2-24-00) --One person was injured in a two-car
crackup at Campbell and W. Wapato Roads, Washington
State Patrolmen said today.
Mary L.
Andy, 30, of
Toppenish, complained of a sore neck following the
crash. Emergency personnel put her head in
traction, and she was taken by ambulance to
Providence Hospital in Toppenish. She wasn't
wearing a seatbelt, according to reports. Her '92
Chev pickup was totaled, officers said.
James E.
Fuehrer, 37, of
Wapato, emerged unscathed from the accident.
Patrolmen estimated his '98 Ford sedan received
$3,000 in damage. Fuehrer reportedly was wearing
his seatbelt.
Patrolmen said Mary
Andy's pickup failed to stop at a stop sign. The
vehicles collided in the intersection. The pickup
continued on, striking a house on the northwest
corner of the intersection.
Suspect named
in shotgun murder
TOPPENISH (Thursday
2-24-00) --Sheriff's deputies say they have
identified a suspect in the Feb. 14 shooting death
here of 27-year
old Rafael
Aaron
Garcia.
Deputies named
Jorge Humberto
Castaneda, 27,
also known as
"Berto"
Castaneda, as
the man who may have shot and killed Garcia with a
single blast to the chest from a 12 gauge shotgun.
The gun hasn't been recovered.
Garcia's body was found
last week off Goldendale Avenue near a spur track
belonging to Burlington Northern Railroad, a few
feet outside Toppenish city limits.
Castaneda's last known
address was in the 300 block of E. Toppenish
Avenue, but it's believed he may have left the
area. He is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with black
hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information
about Castaneda's whereabouts is urged to call
YSO's Lt. Dan Garcia at (509) 574-2550, or call any
local law enforcement agency. Castaneda should be
considered armed and dangerous, deputies said.
Hwy 12
head-on hurts 1
TOPPENISH (Saturday
2-19-00) --One man was seriously injured on Highway
12 at 4:30 p.m. Friday, when a van collided head-on
with a semi truck-trailer on Indian Creek
Bridge.
State Patrolmen said an
'80 Chev van driven by
Lyle E.
Taylor, 74, of
Wapato, crossed the center line on treacherous ice
and collided with a '98 Freightliner driven by
Daniel A
Baier, 52, of
Packwood.
Van driver Taylor
suffered a fractured pelvis and crushed leg, and
was taken to Providence Hospital in Yakima. From
there he was airlifted to Harborview Medical
Center, Seattle. Trucker Baier was not injured. His
semi received an estimated $10,000 in damages,
patrolmen said. Both drivers were wearing
seatbelts.
Accident on
SR 97 injures 5
TOPPENISH (Saturday
2-19-00) -- Five persons were injured when two cars
and a truck collided near milepost 57 south of here
on State Route 97 at about 10 a.m. Friday
morning.
Washington State
Patrolmen said a southbound '93 Safari van driven
by Kathleen R.
Washington, 49,
of Brownstown, struck a '95 Toyota pickup driven by
Nelson
Moses, 72, of
White Swan. The impact pushed the pickup off the
road, where it struck a sign.
Patrolmen said the van
then went on to collide with a '95 Freightliner
driven by James
Brown, 51, of
Sacramento, as it was stopped turning left into a
scalehouse. Brown was not injured, and his truck
received $500 in damages.
Van driver Kathleen
Washington wasn't injured. Her passenger,
Ruth
Howard, 72, of
Wapato, received head injuries and was transported
to Yakima's Providence Hospital. Washington's van
was totaled, officers said.
Pickup driver Nelson
Moses and his passengers were transported by
private vehicle to Providence as well. Injured
passengers included
Charlene J.
Wahsise, 28,
and Mabel T.
Moses, 74, both
of White Swan. Both women complained of a sore
back. A third pickup passenger,
Cathleen
Shippentower,
7, White Swan, was treated and released at
Providence. Moses' Toyota pickup was
totaled.
By
railroad tracks
Man murdered
in Toppenish
TOPPENISH (Wednesday
2-16-00)--The body of a Toppenish man, the apparent
victim of a shotgun blast to the chest, was found
here Wednesday afternoon, according to Yakima
sheriff's officers.
Deputies said the
body of Rafael
Aaron Garcia,
27, was found just 20 feet from where he had parked
his car near the railroad tracks off Goldendale
Avenue.
Indications are
Garcia had been killed some 20 hours
earlier. His
body was found by school-age kids walking along the
tracks.
Sheriff's Lt. Dan
Garcia said Rafael Garcia, who had been living in
Seattle, came to the Valley to find work. He got a
job at Washington Beef two days before his death.
He was a Mexican national.
No suspects have been
arrested following the incident, and the
investigation is continuing, officers
said.
Officers
of the year named
Exchange Club
fetes cops
YAKIMA (Friday
2-11-00)--The Yakima Exchange Club has named eight
area officers from five agencies as officer or
dispatcher of the year, according to the Exchange
Club's Mike Merriman. Those honored
include:
Officer
Tom Foley, and
Dispatcher Katy
Ybarra of the
Yakima PD
Deputy
Randy
Brisco, and
Dispatcher
Maria
Davila of the
Yakima Sheriff's Office
Sgt.
Larry
Warden, Union
Gap PD
Officer
Dan
Farrell of the
Selah PD
Patrol Officer
Trent E.
Clasen, and
Communications Officer
Brian
Williams of the
Washington State Patrol.
Burglary,
robbery, auto theft
Robber hits
Pizza Hut
YAKIMA (Friday
2-11-00)--The day got off to a rotten start for the
23-year old, white male employee at Pizza Hut who
came to work at 5:55 a.m. Thursday. It appears he
walked into a burglary in progress at Pizza Hut's
store at 5802 Summitview Blvd.
Police said the unnamed
employee was jumped from behind and thrown to the
floor by a tall, skinny black guy, probably in his
mid-20s, who demanded and took the employee's
wallet and car keys.
Police said the suspect
then fled the business and took off with the
employee's '96 Chev S-10 pickup truck, light blue
in color, Washington License Plate No.
69947Z.
The Pizza Hut employee
was taken to Yakima Memorial Hospital, where he was
treated and released after suffering contusions and
abrasions to the forehead. The bad guy was wearing
tan pants and a white T-shirt.
Drive-by
Young man
murdered in Yakima
YAKIMA (Friday
2-11-00)--Yakima Police
say Florentino
Gurrero, 21,
was shot in the head and mortally wounded as he
rode in a vehicle at the intersection of 7th Street
and Nob Hill Avenue early Monday. Police didn't
name the driver of the car in which Gurrero
rode.
Officers said shots
were fired at the car from an unknown source,
possibly another vehicle. At least one shot
penetrated the rear window and struck Gurrero in
the head.
Police said Gurrero was
hospitalized immediately after the incident. He
died at about 3:45 p.m. yesterday. This is Yakima's
first homicide in 2000. The police investigation
continues.
Dog
killed
Crackup
totals 2 vehicles, injures 2
SUNNYSIDE (Friday
2-11-00)--Two valley residents received minor
injuries but their vehicles were totaled after a
severe crackup at the intersection of Maple Grove
Rd. and Yakima Valley Highway at 8 p.m. last
night.
Deputies said
Randy H.
Hull, 32, of
Mabton, was driving eastbound in the 55 mph zone of
the Highway, pulling a 24-foot stock trailer with
his 1999 Ford F350 flatbed truck. His dog was tied
onto the truck bed.
Devon D.
Chase, 17, of
Mabton was driving her '88 Toyota Corolla
southbound on Maple Grove Road, intending to cross
the Highway and continue southbound where Maple
Grove becomes Swan Road.
Deputies said Hull's
pickup truck struck the passenger side of Chase's
car. The car reportedly spun around and left the
north side of the roadway, coming to rest in a
ditch at the side of the road. She was pinned
inside the Corolla and fire department personnel
used the 'Jaws of Life' to get her out.
Hull's pickup spun and
left the roadway on the south side, rolling over
and coming to rest on its wheels. The trailer
separated from the truck and came to rest on its
top further east on the south side of Yakima Valley
Highway. Hull wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He got out
okay, but his dog was killed when the truck rolled
over.
Both Hull and Chase
were treated at the scene by fire department
personnel and were transported by ambulance to
Sunnyside Community Hospital. Both were treated for
non-life-threatening injuries.
Both vehicles were
destroyed, and the Hull's trailer sustained major
damage. Deputies indicated alcohol wasn't a factor.
Ms. Chase, who was seatbelted, was cited for
failing to stop for the stop sign.
I-82
head-on collision
Woman killed,
trucker hurt
SUNNYSIDE (Monday
2-7-00)--A Grandview woman was killed instantly at
8:36 p.m. today as she reportedly was driving west
in the eastbound lanes of I-82 between here and
Grandview.
State Patrolmen said
Cherie L
Christomos, 47,
died instantly of massive head and internal
injuries when her '96 Ford Taurus collided head on
with a '98 Kenworth Tractor driven by
Randy S.
Budau, 34, of
Spokane. The accident occurred at milepost 71.2,
officers said.
Christomos was taken to
Smith Funeral Home.
Trucker Budau
reportedly complained of a sore neck and back
injuries after the crash. He was transported by
ambulance to Sunnyside Community Hospital, and
later was transported to Spokane.
Both drivers were
wearing seat belts. The WSP is investigating the
accident.
Head-on
collision
Man killed in
SR 97 crash
TOPPENISH (Wednesday
2-2-00)--One man was killed and a woman was injured
at 4:35 p.m. today on State Route 97 about 25 miles
south of Toppenish.
Bill
Floyd, 57, of
Toppenish died at Providence Hospital here 40
minutes after his southbound '80 Chevette collided
head on with a northbound Ford F250 pickup truck
driven by Dean
L. Whitney, 63
of Yakima. Whitney's wife,
Joyce
Whitney, 60,
suffered cracked ribs and torso injury and also was
transported to Providence.
Whitney was towing a
fifth wheel when the accident occurred. Both
vehicles were totaled. The Whitney's were wearing
seatbelts; Floyd was not.
Two arrested
for marijuana
SUNNYSIDE (Tuesday
2-1-00)--Two persons were arrested early Monday
morning as Sunnyside police served a search warrant
on their residence at 22 Parkland Homes.
Sgt. Jose Trevino said
officers searched the home and found under 40 grams
of marijuana, plus drug paraphernalia. The search
warrant was served without incident, according to
officers.
Wendy Lee
Bryan, 18, was
arrested for possession of marijuana and drug
paraphernalia.
Brandon
Bryan was
arrested for drug paraphernalia possession.
Two
Selah adults likely to be charged
Someone
swipes Little League $
SELAH (Tuesday
2-1-00)--Someone has taken more than $30,000 in
Selah National Little League funds over the past
two years from various bank accounts, according to
the Yakima County Sheriff's office.
Deputies said they were
alerted to the thefts Jan. 10. Auditing of various
bank accounts is expected to show a "considerable
amount" of Little League funds have
also been
misappropriated, according to Deputy Dan
Garcia.
Deputies said the
investigation is expected to lead to charges
against two adults from Selah. More info will be
released as it becomes available says the
YSO.
