Arrest made in homicide of man found in Kennewick
By Dan Thesman on Friday, May 6th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
KENNEWICK – The Kennewick Police Department reported Friday that a man has been arrested in connection to the death of Clayton Wick, 76. Wick was found deceased by his housekeeper Tuesday at his home on the 400 block of South Buchanan Street.
Christopher Calvert, 44, was arrested in Stevenson, Washington Thursday afternoon after KPD detectives followed-up on leads and discovered that he had stolen Wick’s 2012 green Honda CRV. A warrant was issued for Calvert’s arrest for theft of a motor vehicle and probable cause was developed on Calvert for first-degree murder and a nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest.
Information was developed that Calvert was in Stevenson, Washington and he was located driving Wick’s stolen car. When law enforcement attempted to stop Calvert, a pursuit began that led to a rural area of Skamania County where the vehicle was pushed into a ditch and became disabled.
Calvert was taken into custody without further incident and the stolen vehicle has been seized as evidence. He has since been transported back to Kennewick and booked into the Benton County Jail.
Detectives said Calvert was an acquaintance of Wick, but that the motive is not completely known at this time. Wick appears to have suffered from a violent assault and blunt force trauma. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy. Next of kin have been contacted.
If Calvert’s name sounds familiar, he is historically a Hermiston resident. Since 2006, law enforcement has encountered him frequently. Calvert has been arrested 29 times with 65 charges brought against him. The Hermiston Police Department’s most recent contact was for a traffic violation on April 4, 2022.
As the investigation in Kennewick continues, detectives will be working on this case over the next several weeks. Anyone with information in reference to this homicide is asked to contact KPD at 509-628-0333 or www.kpdtips.com.
