Game warden killed 100 years ago honored in Spokane: ‘We remember because he mattered’

One hundred years ago, Edward Jarisch left his home near Camden, a community in Pend Oreille County not far from Elk, to get his mail in town when gunshots rang out nearby. Jarisch, deputy game warden with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, went to investigate possible wildlife violations, according to the Newport Miner newspaper at the time.

Jarisch confronted two men who were hunting deer outside nearby Scotia, reports said. One of the men pointed his rifle at Jarisch, who armed only with a revolver, left the area.

Jarisch’s body was found shot about six hours after he left his home, or around 8:30 p.m. Feb. 17, 1926, about 1 mile east of Camden, the newspaper reported. Jarisch, 43, was lying face down, with tracks he left indicating he was “fleeing to save his life.”

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife held an end-of-watch ceremony for Jarisch on the 100th anniversary of his death Tuesday at Fairmount Memorial Park in Spokane.

“Today, we honor more than a fallen officer,” WDFW Capt. Alan Myers said. “We honor a legacy of service. We honor a life defined by commitment. We honor a sacrifice that shaped the profession.”

Several local law enforcement agencies attended the 30-minute ceremony inside Sunset Chapel.

During the ceremony, Gina Miller, WDFW training coordinator, read a biography of Jarisch. WDFW Sgt. Tony Leonetti attached a yellow streamer, with Jarisch’s name and date of death written in blue letters, to the agency’s flag. Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Gallagher, an honor guard bugler, then played taps.

After the ceremony, WDFW officers placed a wreath with white and yellow flowers and a green ribbon that said, “IN LOVING MEMORY,” in gold letters next to the headstone of Jarisch and his wife, Mary, who are buried at Fairmount.

A search for Jarisch started after Mary Jarisch notified someone that her husband had not returned home that February day.

An autopsy showed a bullet passed through Jarisch’s neck and severed his spinal cord. About 200 feet from Jarisch’s body, investigators found the shell of a “high power” bullet, according to the Newport Miner. Jarisch never fired his revolver.

Myers said Jarisch possessed “duty, conviction and courage” that day.

“On that day, his watch had ended, not because his resolve altered, but because he stood firm in it,” he said. “In that moment, he embodied the highest ideals of service. He gave his life not in pursuit of recognition, but in the fulfillment of responsibility. And though a century has passed, time has not diminished that sacrifice.”

Investigators found the tracks of two hunters in the snow, the newspaper reported. Several people saw the two men in the area around the time of the shooting.

The Newport Miner reported Jarisch was a native of Germany and lived near Camden for nearly 20 years before his death. He was survived by his wife, who died three years later, a brother in Spokane and several brothers in Germany.

No family members were present Tuesday.

“To his family, both those who knew him and those separated by generations, please know this: He is not forgotten. His life is not a footnote. His memory is carried forward by every warden, every officer, every professional who continues this mission today,” Myers said. “We remember because he mattered. May we continue to live and work in a way that’s worthy of his sacrifice. Deputy Game Warden Jarisch, your watch ended in 1926, but your impact did not. Your duty lives on. Your service endures, your memory remains. Now, we have watch.”

A judge sentenced Roland Lester Van Blaricom, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, to two to 20 years at the Walla Walla Penitentiary, Miller said. She said prosecutors believed the shooter committed murder, but felt a jury would not convict on that charge, and reduced it to manslaughter.

Van Blaricom claimed the shooting was an accident, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. He said he was shooting near Jarisch to try to scare him away.

Miller said Van Blaricom, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, told the judge at his sentencing, “I’m sorry, sir, that it happened.”

The other man with the shooter was his 18-year-old brother, Everett Van Blaricom. He was released from custody, Miller said.

Miller said planning the ceremony took about a year. She said her fiancé, WSP Trooper Tony Radulescu, also died in the line of duty when he was shot in 2012 while conducting a traffic stop in Kitsap County. Radulescu was 44 and served 16 years with WSP.

“It has been a labor of love for me, both personally and professionally,” she said.