Target Zero hosts 2nd Annual Night of 1,000 Stars

Published 1:30 am Monday, December 22, 2025

Six law enforcement officers who were present, and 14 people overall, who protect roads and streets from impaired drivers and encourage a culture of safety and responsibility in our communities, were honored at the 2nd Annual Night of 1,000 Stars award ceremony at Montesano City Hall Saturday night.

High-visibility enforcement patrols were in effect Friday and Saturday to monitor for motorists who may have been driving under the influence. These patrols were active throughout Grays Harbor, Mason and Pacific counties. They were part of the Night of 1,000 Stars campaign, which represents the 1,000 badges across Washington who are working to keep impaired drivers off the state’s roadways. The Region 2 Target Zero Task Force and Washington Traffic Safety Commission are reminding everyone to make safe choices and drive sober this holiday season.

Deputies from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, troopers from the Washington State Patrol and officers from the Aberdeen Police Department, along with District Court Judges Megan Valentine and Andrea Vingo, and Superior Court Judge Katherine L. Svoboda, were in attendance. Haley Falley, Community Health Specialist and Target Zero Manager for Grays Harbor County Public Health, facilitated the event. Sunny 102 radio personality Phil Luce served as the master of ceremonies for the evening, with Aberdeen Police Chief Dale Green filling in for Montesano Police Chief Robert Wilson, who was unable to attend.

Officers in attendance did so with heavy hearts as 29-year-old Washington State Patrol trooper Tara-Marysa Guting was struck by a driver and killed on state Route 509 in Tacoma just the day before.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the event featured guest speakers, including Chief Green, Tony Bledsoe of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Aberdeen’s dedicated DUI officer Dillon Mitchell, Judge Valentine, Jerry Salstrom of Harbor Strong, and Michael Rains of Safe Harbor.

Falley said that the work law enforcement officers do in traffic safety is arduous and dangerous.

“What these individuals see every day is incredibly tragic. Processing DUIs takes a long time; there’s a lot that goes into that, and it’s incredible work that they’re doing, it’s very hard work. It’s not commonly recognized, and it’s something our community needs to see. We care about one another, we want people to get home safe, and a lot of that depends on our law enforcement. Each time these individuals are out and about in the community, they’re taking a risk,” Falley said. “It’s all related when we think about prevention and making sure people are making choices to not drive impaired, enforcement, working with our law enforcement officers to do these high visibility patrols, and on the back end with our DUI courts. It’s not just law enforcement, it’s community partners that all work together to address traffic safety.”

According to Chief Green, paying tribute to the officers who work traffic safety is important because of the unsung nature of what they do.

“It’s important to recognize them because sometimes I feel like they’re not the ones getting the credit for the big arrest, for busting the big felony cases, but traffic safety is so important to what we do, it’s good to call these officers, deputies and troopers out to let them know we acknowledge what they’re doing, they’re doing an awesome job keeping our roads safe, and we certainly appreciate everything they’re doing,” Chief Green said. “Just listening to this group of people who won awards tonight, we’re talking about thousands of traffic stops they’re making every year just to keep people safe.”

Deputies Tucker Johnson, Devin Kite and Nick Byron of the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, and Troopers Mackenzie Ray, David Franzmann, and Isaiah Vasatka accepted their awards in person and posed for photos. Each officer’s year-end statistics were read to the amazement of those in attendance.

Traffic Enforcement Award

Deputy Nick Byron – Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office

Trooper David Franzmann – Washington State Patrol

Captain Kyle Smith –Washington State Patrol Academy

Trooper Cody Robinson – Washington State Patrol

Sergeant Thomas Thorpe –Washington State Patrol Academy

Deputy Tucker Johnson – Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office

Trooper Mackenzie Ray – Washington State Patrol

Deputy Devin Kite – Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office

Trooper Richard Bulley – Washington State Patrol

Trooper Levi Gundacker – Washington State Patrol

Trooper Isaiah Vasatka – Washington State Patrol

Safe Roads Trailblazer Award

Debbie Will – Child Passenger Safety Technician

Loretta Swanson – Director, Mason County Public Works

Mike Collins – Deputy Director, Mason County Public Works

At the conclusion of the event, attendees posed for photos, and four patrols headed out. Within 30 minutes, two people had been pulled over on U.S. Highway 12 heading west toward Aberdeen. In all 72 traffic stops were made with 17 notices of infractions, two arrests and one DUI arrest Saturday night.