MOSES LAKE — Deputies are investigating after damage was done to a roadside memorial on Friday in Moses Lake that marks the location of where a Moses Lake teenager lost his life in a collision in 2016.

On Friday a witness reported seeing a front-end loader being driven down a canal road to the memorial near Roads 5 and L Northeast. The witness said they saw the loader bucket maneuver, strike and uproot the steel memorial cross, which is affixed to the ground by concrete.

The driver of the loader continued into Moses Lake and was contacted by Moses Lake officers on Ivy Street. He was interviewed by deputies but was not taken into custody.

Some members of the public on social media questioned the legality of roadside memorials.

"For Grant County roads, the sheriff's office doesn't police roadside memorials. When memorials are erected along the side of county roads, they're likely on private property. So long as the memorial isn't blocking a fire hydrant or causing a traffic hazard, the sheriff's office won't take any action when it comes to roadside memorials since we have no legal basis to do so," GCSO spokesman Kyle Foreman explained.

"As far as what other agencies may or may not do, we would have to wait and let them answer."

The memorial is located at the spot where Moses Lake teenager Clayton Clark, who was 18 at the time, crashed his vehicle into an irrigation canal in August 2016. Clark passed away two days after the collision at Providence-Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. His passenger, Jesus Cornejo, survived the crash thanks to the bravery of four Moses Lake officer who jumped into the canal to save him and Clark.

“The memorial site has been the target of prior incidents of vandalism. Deputies continue to investigate,” states the sheriff's office.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at rbyrd@columbiabasinherald.com.