PORT ANGELES — Trooper Travis Beebe has been suspended for four days without pay for causing a three-vehicle wreck east of Port Angeles on Nov. 29, the State Patrol announced Thursday.
Beebe, 39, also will receive 40 hours of driver training at the State Patrol academy and complete a four-hour check ride with a driving instructor.
The State Patrol said the 17-year veteran trooper caused the crash while attempting to overtake a speeding vehicle on U.S. Highway 101 on the Morse Creek “S” curve.
“Trooper Beebe came forward and accepted responsibility for losing control of his car,” said his commander, Capt. Chris Old, in a prepared statement.
“The discipline and retraining I’ve imposed are within the standard range given in these situations.”
Beebe’s $30,500 Crown Victoria patrol car was destroyed when it crossed the centerline of U.S. 101 and collided with a Toyota pickup truck and a Honda sport utility vehicle.
None of the 10 people inside the three vehicles was seriously injured, the State Patrol reported.
“We’re greatly relieved that those involved reported minor injuries,” Old said.
The State Patrol’s Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the wreck.
Although Beebe has accepted responsibility, the State Patrol has a responsibility to establish the exact details of what took place, patrol spokesman Robert Calkins said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to phone Sgt. Jerry Cooper at 360-805-1192 or speak with a detective at a State Patrol office.
More than 50 demonstrators rallied against the Port Angeles-based Trooper near the Clallam County Courthouse last Saturday, some calling for Beebe’s termination.
The protest was organized by the mother of a 36-year-old motorcyclist who was killed May 8, 2012, after Beebe chased him at speeds reaching 90 mph on Deer Park Road east of Port Angeles.
The chase resulted in Bjorn R. Larsen and Beebe plunging off a steep embankment.
The State Patrol determined that Larsen was at fault, but also suspended Beebe for a day without pay for violating the agency’s vehicle-pursuit policy.
