Law & Justice
Fatal crash victim identified as Oak Harbor man
March 18, 2023 at 3:50 p.m.
Washington State Patrol released the name of the victim who died in a car crash near Anacortes on March 5.
John E. Butz, 84, of Oak Harbor, died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the vehicle he was a passenger in struck another vehicle south of Anacortes near Tibbles Lane.
Around 4:30 p.m. on March 5, Gregory M. Cloud, 26, of Aptos, California was driving a 2001 Subaru northbound on state Route 20 when he attempted to make a U-turn on a double-yellow line curve.
A second vehicle, a 2014 Honda CR-V, traveling southbound, was driven by Dean A. Butz, 56, of East Wenatchee, with John Butz and Maria A. Arevalo, 54, of East Wenatchee, riding as passengers.
Dean Butz saw Cloud attempting the U-turn and was unable to stop in time, colliding with Cloud’s vehicle on the right-rear passenger side.
All four were wearing seatbelts and transported to Island Health in Anacortes. John Butz was then transferred to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation and drugs or alcohol were involved, according to a WSP memo.