Former GCSO chief deputy sworn in as MLPD officer

MOSES LAKE — There was a familiar face at the Tuesday meeting of the Moses Lake City Council as former Grant County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Darrik Gregg was sworn in as a Moses Lake Police Department officer.

“Darrik and I have been bantering back and forth for six years trying to get each other to work for their respective agencies,” said MLPD Chief Kevin Fuhr as he prepared to swear Gregg in. “I won.”

Gregg, a longtime Moses Lake resident, was with GCSO from 2006 until October 2021, when he left the agency. He and GCSO Chief Deputy Dustin Canfield resigned late last year following allegations that Chief Deputy Ken Jones improperly reported the hours he worked.

Jones, whose brother Tom Jones was the elected sheriff until his resignation in June, was cleared of most wrongdoing following an investigation by Wenatchee Police Department Capt. Edgar Reinfeld in December 2021.

Both Gregg and Canfield are each seeking $5 million in compensatory damages from Grant County, claiming GCSO leadership created a hostile work environment in defense of Jones that prompted both men to resign.

According to Fuhr, Gregg has been working in law enforcement since 2003, when he began as a patrol officer with the Royal City Police Department — a position he now holds again with the MLPD. Fuhr said that despite starting again in patrol, Gregg’s experience will prove invaluable on the streets of Moses Lake.

“There is no such thing as just an officer,” Fuhr said after the swearing-in.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.