Kriete sworn in as Grant Co. sheriff

EPHRATA - Joey Kriete took the oath of office and was sworn in as the new Grant County Sheriff by Superior Court Judge Tyson Hill on Tuesday at the Grant County Courthouse.

“Standing in front and getting sworn in by Judge Hill, I think that's when it became real,” said Kriete.

With 57.84% of the vote, Kriete was selected as the Grant County Sheriff in the Nov. 8 election over opponent Joe Harris.

Kriete said it was very special for former sheriff Bill Wiester to be in attendance for his swearing-in because Wiester was the sheriff that hired him nearly 30 years ago. He reminisced that Wiester asked him where he saw himself in the sheriff’s office, and what his goals were.

“And I told him I said ‘Sheriff, hopefully someday I'll be fortunate enough to sit in your chair.’,” Kriete said.

Kriete became a part of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office in 1993 when he was only 21 years old.

“Now looking back at the phenomenal employees that we've hired and thinking back (to) when I was their age, and how excited I was to work at the sheriff's office, I know exactly how they feel and it's a great feeling to know what they're going through,” Kriete said.

He said he is excited to get settled into the office and get started on their priority list. Some of the things on the priority list include approving their 2023 budget, finalizing staff contracts and recruiting for the corrections division, among other things.

“I'm just very, very grateful that the voters have the trust in me and the trust in my abilities to do the job as their Sheriff,” Kriete said. “I want everybody to know how grateful I am, how thankful, and I'm extremely honored to be the Grand County Sheriff, for sure.”

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingilll@columbiabasinherald.com.