News Release
Photos by Clallam County Fire District 2, used with permission.
News Release Date: August 17, 2018
Contact: NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB), 202-379-4761
Following an investigation led by a Special Agent with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB), a man will serve time in prison for two counts of vehicular assault in Olympic National Park. Kelly Lee Landry, age 51, pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced in federal court yesterday.
While driving along Lake Crescent in the park in September 2017, Landry crossed into the oncoming lane and hit another vehicle head-on. Court documents describe the immense impact of the collision, which sent the other vehicle over a steep embankment toward the lake. The driver of the other vehicle required a lengthy and difficult extrication; both occupants sustained severe life-threatening and debilitating injuries. US Park Rangers and more than 20 personnel from Clallam County Fire District 2 conducted the rescue.
On scene, Landry told rangers that he had been driving his employer’s truck to a casino. Inside the truck’s cab were pipes and other drug paraphernalia. The ISB Special Agent worked with rangers and Washington State Patrol troopers during the investigation, and determined that Landry was driving while under the influence of methamphetamines and marijuana. He was subsequently charged, indicted, and arrested.
“When drugs come into your life, your honesty, integrity, and life go out the door,” stated the US District Court judge who presided over the case. “It’s a tragedy for everyone.” Both victims will have permanent limitations of the use of their limbs as a result of the collision. In their statements to the court, both expressed their hope that Landry would succeed in treatment for his addiction.
Vehicular assault is a class B felony. Landry was ordered to serve two spans of 18 months incarceration (concurrent) followed by 36 months supervised release. He must also pay restitution to both victims. A hearing is scheduled for February 2019 to determine the final amount of that restitution.
ISB: the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service
www.nps.gov/ISB
Last updated: August 17, 2018