Four people arrested in highway drug bust

TOPPENISH — Four people were detained Thursday after a pound of marijuana was discovered following a traffic stop on Highway 97 south of Toppenish, the Washington State Patrol reported.

Officers were involved in an emphasis patrol being conducted in memory of a Klickitat County sheriff’s deputy killed in a traffic crash when they stopped the car about 12:30 p.m. 10 miles south of Toppenish, State Patrol Lt. Jim Keightley said.

The car has been seized as the drug investigation continues.

The Yakima County Traffic Safety Task Force and the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office organized the emphasis patrol in honor of Sgt. Peter Garland, who died July 18, 2007, in a head-on crash on Highway 97 about 22 miles south of Toppenish.

Garland was in his personal car when it was struck by a 20-year-old Carnation, Wash., man speeding in a no-passing zone. The driver had been using marijuana before the crash. He pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Although Garland was taking a day off, his death was recognized as a line-of-duty casualty because he was on-call supervisor for the sheriff’s office.

The emphasis patrol will run through Saturday between the Goldendale and Toppenish weigh stations.

Sheriff’s deputies from Yakima County are also participating in special patrols.