Vacaville Freeway May Be Renamed After CHP Officer Killed In Crash
VACAVILLE (CBS SF) – Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Discovery Bay, introduced a resolution Monday to name a portion of Interstate Highway 505 in Vacaville after the late California Highway Patrol Officer Kirk Griess.
Griess, 46, of Vacaville, was killed on Aug. 10 when he was struck by a truck on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate Highway 80 during a traffic stop.
"The death of Officer Griess is a loss to the California Highway Patrol, his Vacaville community and the state of California," Frazier said in a news release.
"He was a beloved veteran CHP officer who worked in the Solano County region for 16 years. We want to honor his service and his exemplary life with a memorial highway in the community that was his home and where his family lives," Frazier said.
The resolution calls for renaming Highway 505 the CHP Officer Kirk Griess Memorial Highway between the Highway 80 interchange and Vaca Valley Parkway in Solano County. The Assembly will consider the resolution when it convenes in early January.
The resolution pays tribute to Griess as a loving and involved father who was active in Vacaville where he coached youth soccer and baseball teams and as a husband, father, son, friend, co-worker and mentor.
The resolution states Griess had a heart for service that showed in the returned love of his community.
"Everyone enjoyed his easygoing nature and his knack for always looking for the positive in others," the resolution states.
Signs designating the Kirk Griess Memorial Highway will be paid for with private donations.
The crash also killed Jaime Manuel, 49, of Vallejo, when the truck hit his Saturn SUV that Griess had pulled over.
Sean Matthew Walker, 36, of Rocklin, the driver of the Chevrolet truck that struck Griess and Manuel was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter. A date for his preliminary hearing will be set next Monday in Solano County Superior Court in Vallejo.
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