Seven Chiefs-for-a-Day honored at courthouse

Program in its fourth year

Young Henry Owens seems to have the right idea about his duties as chief for a day.

"Here's a surprise," Washington State Patrol Lt. Mike Warren told county employees and young chiefs' family members outside the Grant County Courthouse Thursday afternoon. "You want to know the first thing he wants to do today?

"He wants to spend time with the troops and eat doughnuts."

Owens was one of seven children in Grant County given the honor of Chief for a Day from top officials of area law-enforcement agencies.

This is the fourth year area children have donned police uniforms and usurped the duty of chief. The selected children all suffer from a terminal or debilitating disease, Grant County Sgt. Dave Ponozzo, who

emceed the event, said, but it's the law-enforcement officers who often see the greatest reward.

"As many years as I've been involved in (law enforcement), I don't think there's anything more gratifying than this," Ponozzo said.

Bruce Bjork, enforcement chief for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, traveled all the way from Olympia to attend the ceremony yesterday. He first participated in the event in Wenatchee and always enjoys attending.

"The kids are the most important part of the whole event," he said.

The seven children honored were: Carsen Peters by the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Quinn Dawson by the Ephrata Police Department, Benji Graffis by the Ephrata Police Department, Henry Owens by the Washington State Patrol, Payton Nielson by the Soap Lake Police Department, Tyler Hofstetter by the Moses Lake Police Department and Jess Parnall by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The kids rode through downtown Ephrata in a motorcade of police cars with sirens blaring. They were escorted to the courthouse steps by the officers under their charge and sworn in by Grant County judges.

Erik Nielson, the father of Payton Nielson, said his son has enjoyed himself.

"He's had a great time. He's always been interested in bad guys and good guys," Erik Nielson said.

Payton, now four years old, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was two and a half years old. The leukemia is in remission now, and Payton will be finished with his medical treatment in September of next year.

The town have Soap Lake has supported Payton, his father said, including a whole group of citizens shaving their heads in his honor as he went through chemotherapy treatment and lost his hair.

"This is the icing on the cake," Erik Nielson said of the Chief-for-a-Day ceremony.

"It's quite an honor for me to be able to support and help these kids any way I can," Soap Lake Police Chief Scott Stokoe said of giving up his job ceremoniously.

As each new young chief saw his badge pinned on by a parent, the old chief read what each youngster wanted to do with his tenure. Stokoe's reading of Payton Nielson's desire seemed to sum up the day:

"He wants to catch bad guys, see the police car and push the button on the siren."