By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Watch out for that rookie trooper.
He graduated from the Washington State Patrol Academy, got sworn in at the capitol building in Olympia and then headed to his new assignment in Chehalis where on his very first traffic stop, he arrested a man for driving under the influence.
The 37-year-old Lacey motorist said he was headed to the post office in Tumwater, but Trooper Evan Clark found him weaving southbound on Interstate 5 near the 13th Street interchange in Chehalis, according to Trooper Will Finn.
The arrestee said he drank a beer before leaving home, according to Finn.
Trooper Clark earned the praise of Lt. Ken Garrison for the Dec. 17 traffic stop who indicated getting drunken drivers off the roadways is the state patrol’s number one concern.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Trooper Clark,” Garrison said in a prepared statement. “Impaired driving is a leading factor in Washington traffic deaths.
Clark, who comes from Vancouver, is one of four newly commissioned troopers who began working in Chehalis earlier this month.
The graduation ceremony was actually on a Friday, and the DUI arrest came the following Monday after the new troopers met with their commanders in Vancouver and then headed out on patrol.
The four are among 37 cadets who were part of the 100th graduating trooper basic class.
Also new to the Chehalis detachment are:
• Jessica L. Dizon, from Olympia
• Aleksandr V. Ignatov, from Vancouver
• Blake A. Willson, from Chehalis
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter