Sheriff’s employees, volunteers honored

Fri., Oct. 14, 2005

From staff reports

Award winner removed from job

The leader of the Spokane County sheriff's volunteer program, who recently was removed from her job, was honored at Thursday's sheriff's appreciation ceremony.

Bonnie Abernathy, who was the first full-time director of the Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Effort, received an award for her efforts from the group's board.

Abernathy was told Sept. 30 that her contract will not be renewed in January, Spokane County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said. She was put on paid administrative leave until Dec. 31.

Her contract is not being renewed because "her management style wasn't a collaborative effort," Reagan said.

Abernathy said she has "the utmost respect for the sheriff's office."

"I still will be involved in SCOPE," Abernathy said Thursday night. "It's a wonderful, wonderful group of people."

Abernathy was hired in early 2000 over 36 other candidates. Her starting salary was $31,000.

She previously coordinated volunteers at the Spokane-based Inland Northwest Blood Center.

Staff reports

They foiled criminals, saved lives and volunteered huge chunks of time.

On Thursday night, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office honored citizens, employees and a volunteer at its annual appreciation ceremony.

More than 400 people attended the event at Northern Quest Casino.

Ed Jackson, who volunteered about 10,000 hours for the office, was given the Sheriff’s Star award posthumously.

Jackson, who died in June, “was the epitome of what it means to care for your community,” said Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk.

The awards were decided by a committee of sheriff’s employees.

Others recognized Thursday were:

• Stephanie Lund, an East Valley High School teacher who in February prevented a student with a loaded gun from entering her class. The student, who pointed the gun at Lund, was eventually disarmed by a security officer. Lund’s actions may have saved the lives of the student and his girlfriend, said sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan.

• Zane Torrano, a helicopter pilot who volunteered in August to help Spokane Valley police search for a man who had kidnapped and raped an employee at a tavern.

• Detective Bryan Miller, whose investigations have helped disrupt significant marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine operations in Spokane.

• Deputies Glenn Hinckley, Walter Loucks and James Reed, who helped save a pregnant woman who was trying to commit suicide.

• Deputy Raymond Miller, who provided medical help to a seriously injured Whitman County sheriff’s deputy.

• Deputy Harold Whapeles, who in January helped persuade an armed woman not to kill herself.

• Deputies Scott Bonney, Robert Stevens and Peter Noetzel, who helped solve a robbery of prescription painkillers from a drug store in June 2004.

• Detectives Roger Knight and Mark Renz, volunteer rescue diver Chris Jundt and Deputies Glenn Hinckley and Michael Drapeau, who tried to save a person who drowned in the Spokane River.

• Wanda L. Jolley, who started a program to track sex offenders.

• Deputies David Ellis and Darrell Stidham, who pulled a suicidal woman from the Spokane River.

• Deputy Daniel R. Middlebos, who opened the airway of a teen who wasn’t breathing after a car crash.

• Deputy Darrell Stidham, who was blasted in his eyes from the spray of a fire extinguisher by a resident of a group home. Stidham was cut on the pupils of both eyes, but arrested the 14-year-old, 290-pound boy.