Lawmaker Seeks Memorial Highway For Fallen Solano CHP Officer

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — The renaming of a stretch of Interstate Highway 505 in Solano County in memory of the late California Highway Patrol Officer Kirk Griess appears to be in the works. Democratic Assemblyman Jim Frazier of Discovery Bay introduced a resolution Monday to name a portion of I-505 in Vacaville after Griess, who was fatally struck by an alleged distracted driver during a traffic stop Aug. 10 on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate Highway 80 near Fairfield.

Griess, 46, was a Vacaville resident and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

"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.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 4 — or ACR — calls for renaming I-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.

As law prohibits the use of state funds for signs designating memorial highways, Frazier's office said the signs for CHP Officer 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.

Authorities allege Sean Matthew Walker, 36, of Rocklin, the driver of the Chevrolet truck that struck Griess and Manuel, was using his phone at the time of the crash, causing him to lose control of his vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed. Walker has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter, with a preliminary hearing due to be set next Monday in Solano County Superior Court in Vallejo.

RELATED:

• CHP Officer Killed On I-80 Near Fairfield
• Solano CHP Officer Remembered As Peacemaker, Mr. 'Hollywood'
• Funds Raised For Vallejo Man Killed Alongside CHP Officer
• Driver Arrested In CHP Officer's Crash Death
• Driver Accused Of Killing CHP Officer Released On Bail

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo via California Highway Patrol-Solano Area