Sheriff's office says goodbye to three valued members

EPHRATA — Three valued members of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office will be riding off into the sunset at the end of this week when 2016 turns into 2017.

The following sheriff’s office members, who have over 66 years of combined service, are retiring from the GCSO at the end of 2016:

Deputy Keith Edie: Edie joined the GCSO after previously serving as the town marshal of Mattawa in 1982. Edie wore several hats since joining the GCSO is 1984, including deputy, K-9 handler and as the overseer of the tracking of registered sex offenders in Grant County. He retires with 32 years of service under his belt.

Deputy Allan Sleeper: Sleeper initially started his career in law enforcement in 1989 in Elkhart, Ind. Locally, he joined the Royal City Police Department in 1993 and transferred to the Quincy Police Department in 1996. Two years later, in 1998, Sleeper joined the GCSO and served as a deputy and corporal during his tenure. Sleeper retires with more than 27 years of service.

K-9 Narcotics Deputy Maddox: The four-legged deputy joined the sheriff’s office in 2009 and served with his handler Corporal Beau Lamens. Maddox handled severed illegal drug cases throughout the years. He is set to be adopted by Lamens when he retires after more than seven years of service.

“The skills, leadership and institutional knowledge Keith, Allan and Maddox possess contributed to putting many bad guys in jail,” Sheriff Tom Jones said. “The citizens of Grant County owe a debt of gratitude to all of them. We’ll all remember Keith and Allan as examples of what great cops are, and in Maddox’s case, an example of what a great K-9 is.”