Ephrata man recounts finding wounded deputy

EPHRATA - The late afternoon hours of Jan. 10 were intended as a deer scouting trip for Ephrata's Don Thill, whose son had a deer tag to hunt near Soap Lake.

But Thill's deer-watching came to a halt after he heard a gunshot. The gunshot wasn't unexpected considering he was in a hunting area, but it prompted Thill to step out of his truck.

"I heard a gunshot, I can't even tell you why I got out of the truck," Thill said Tuesday. He told investigators he heard a total of three distress shots fired by hunter Earl Romig, according to official accounts.

Romig, 26, an off-duty Grant County deputy, is believed to have been wounded by another hunter who claims he thought Romig was a coyote.

Thill said he eventually heard Romig say "help." He spotted Romig laying in about six inches of snow after being shot in the back with a 30-06 rifle, the Grant County Sheriff's Office said.

"It was pretty dark by then, I asked what was wrong, and he said he was shot," Thill said.

Thill called 911 on a cellphone and also handed Romig the phone so he could speak with authorities.

Romig survived and is recovering at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Thill, who works as a Grant County PUD lineman, was surprised Friday at the utility's service center in Ephrata with a letter of recognition from Grant County Sheriff Frank De Trolio.

"It was obvious at the presentation that Mr. Thill, who showed complete and undeniable humility at receiving the letter, was speechless when more than 25 officers from throughout Grant County shook his hand and praised him for helping to save one of their own," Chief Deputy John Turley stated.

Thill also identified a pickup associated with the other hunter, Robbie Joe Marcher, 38, of Moses Lake. Marcher was later arrested.

Marcher was charged with third-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm because of a prior felony conviction and failing to summon assistance. Four counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm were later added after deputies served a search warrant on his home.