GCSO Sgt. McDonnell helps empower rural resident
Sgt. Jason McDonnell helped a rural Soap Lake resident regain electricity after it had been shut off while the resident was in the hospital. He was called out by a postal worker who discovered a note asking for help inside a mailbox. The citizen was driven to the Grant County PUD office by McDonnell and was able to pay the power bill. McDonnell then drove the citizen home.
SOAP LAKE — After a postal worker discovered a note asking for help inside a rural Soap Lake mailbox Wednesday, the worker called the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Jason McDonnell answered the call and checked on the person who lived at the home, according to GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman.
McDonnell discovered the subject had been recently discharged from the hospital, and the power had been turned off while they were away. The person did not have a running vehicle to visit the Grant County Public Utility District office to pay the power bill.
McDonnell, knowing the person could be at risk of harm due to not having electricity in their home, drove the subject to Grant PUD’s office in Ephrata. The person was able to pay their power bill, and McDonnell returned them home.
“Most sheriff’s deputies, during the course of their shift, will do several citizen assistance calls,” Foreman said. “They are the kind of calls that don’t end up with crimes being investigated. No one is going to jail, but there is a need for a check on the welfare of a community member. When deputies find a community member in need, they are empowered to assist that person as much as they can.”
Foreman said this is a story about what deputy sheriffs do more than the community may realize.
“Sgt. McDonnell is a fine example of our patrol supervisors. He is compassionate,” Foreman said. “He has lifetime local roots and his empathy really shined through when he helped this person in need.”