Stevens County Sheriff's Office

05/29/2026

Detective Eric Peterson recently received the Law Enforcement Public Servant of the Year Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Chewelah Post. Detective Peterson has served our community as a twenty-year law enforcement officer and is currently assigned to investigate crimes against children. He is also combat veteran having served in the Army in Iraq as a combat engineer. Congratulations Detective Peterson! This award is well deserved.

05/20/2026

Now Hiring Director of Ambulance Services

The Stevens County Sheriff's Ambulance is hiring a new director for the service to replace our outstanding administrators who are retiring. Please see the below link for job description, salary range, qualifications, and application.

05/15/2026

This week is national police week, and Friday May 15th is police officer memorial day to remember those who have gone before us. Thank an officer or deputy when you see them!

05/09/2026

Fun fact: 35 of 39 counties have Sheriff elections this year. 15 are uncontested (including Stevens County Sheriff), 20 are contested, and there will be at least 15 new Sheriffs in the state due to the incumbent not running again.

05/06/2026

On 05/01/2026, Stevens County Deputies responded to a report of a possible boat that had sunk near Marcus Island, with individuals believed to be in the water. Thanks to the quick actions and attentiveness of those in the area who recognized something was wrong and called it in, help was able to be dispatched immediately.

Once deputies were notified, it was clear that the remote location and response time on the water could be too long given the conditions. A call was made to Ethan Jennings to see if he could assist. Without hesitation, Ethan left a family BBQ, quickly loaded up his kayak and life jackets, and headed out.

Ethan paddled nearly a mile across open water to reach two individuals struggling in extremely cold conditions. The men had already been in the water for approximately 15 minutes prior to Ethan reaching them. He was able to locate both subjects and get life jackets on them. He was able to keep one afloat with him while the other floated downriver with the current. They remained in the water for nearly another 30 minutes until additional resources arrived.

Without Ethan’s actions, it is highly likely both individuals would have drowned.

We also want to recognize the outstanding work of the National Park Service, whose rangers responded by boat and were able to safely locate and recover the individuals from the water, bringing them to shore for medical care.

These combined efforts were not only brave but directly contributed to saving lives under dangerous conditions. Situations like this can turn tragic very quickly, especially with cold water exposure and strong currents.

We want to recognize and thank Mr. Jennings for his courage, selflessness, and willingness to step in when it mattered most. His actions reflect the very best of our community. We will be working to formally recognize him for his life-saving efforts.

We would also like to thank the individuals on scene who remained observant, called in the incident, and helped guide responders. Your attentiveness made a difference.

Great job by all involved!

05/06/2026

A Commissioner with the Washington Supreme Court upheld the injunction that the four NE Washington Sheriffs obtained last week against SB5974. Another win for voter rights and free and fair elections!

-Sheriff Manke-

OLYMPIA – The Washington Supreme Court declined to reinstate new sheriff rules that a Thurston County Judge put on hold last week following a lawsuit from Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels and other Eastern Washington sheriffs.

05/05/2026

This week we honor our corrections deputies. The Stevens County Sheriff's Office is proud of our hard-working corrections staff!

Thank You!

05/05/2026

Our Deputy is healing well at home and is in good spirits. He and his family would like to thank everyone for the massive amount of support and well wishes!

04/30/2026

The deputy who was shot on Tuesday morning was released from the hospital today and was escorted home where he is recovering with his family. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and shown such amazing support.