Driver faces charges after falsely claiming 3 were trapped in Mill Creek crash east of Walla Walla
By Dan Thesman on Sunday, February 15th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY — A 20-year-old driver faces potential criminal charges after allegedly crashing into the gate at the entrance to the Mill Creek watershed and plunging into Mill Creek while falsely claiming three passengers were trapped inside the wreckage, Walla Walla County Undersheriff Joe Klundt said Sunday.
The incident occurred just across the Oregon border at the end of Mill Creek Road, just downstream from the city of Walla Walla’s intake water facility located on Mill Creek.
Klundt said the call came in at 12:41 a.m. Friday and that the driver, whose identity has not yet been released, struck a gate before the vehicle, a Honda Pilot, rolled down an embankment and landed in the water.
Damaged gate at entrance to Mill Creek Watershed intake facility
In a 911 call placed after the crash, the driver told dispatchers that three other people were trapped inside the submerged vehicle. The report triggered an urgent multi-agency response to the remote location.
Because Walla Walla County deputies were out of position and Umatilla County deputies faced a delayed response time, an officer from the Walla Walla Police Department was the first to arrive on the scene.
“It was discovered there were no other subjects involved in the collision or in the vehicle,” Klundt said.
To ensure no victims had been ejected or swept downstream, a College Place Police Department officer deployed a thermal drone to search the surrounding terrain. The aerial search confirmed that the driver had been the sole occupant of the vehicle.
The driver was transported to Providence St. Mary Medical Center with minor injuries.
Suspect’s damaged Honda Pilot after it was removed from Mill Creek
Investigators suspect the driver was under the influence of intoxicants at the time of the crash. Authorities obtained a warrant for a blood draw to determine the driver’s blood-alcohol level.
On Sunday, Klundt said the vehicle was removed from Mill Creek. The swift water response team from the Walla Walla Fire Department set up containment booms downstream from the partially submerged vehicle. Klundth added that the vehicle was successfully removed by a towing company without any fluid leakage.
“Report have been forwarded to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office for charging,” Klundt said.
MyCB photos via Dan Thesman
