Brandon Guernsey returns as appointed county prosecutor

EPHRATA – Brandon Guernsey was sworn in last week as Grant County’s new prosecuting attorney, marking his return to the office after a whirlwind six-month, trans-continental journey.

Guernsey acknowledged being “rather emotional” during a brief Aug. 4 ceremony presided over by Superior Court judges Tyson Hill, who called it “a very special day,” and Anna Gigliotti, who administered the oath of office.

Guernsey said it was “an honor and a privilege” to receive the appointment. “I have so many people to thank,” he said, specifically mentioning his wife and their four children, law enforcement personnel in the county’s Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, and county commissioners “for their faith and trust in me.”

Guernsey also asked employees of the prosecutor’s office to “keep their heads up” during this transitional period.

Guernsey succeeds former county prosecutor Kevin McCrae, a Republican who informed Grant County commissioners in late April that he did not intend to seek re-election in 2026 and opted to resign effective Aug. 3. McCrae initially joined the office in September 2010 as a deputy prosecutor, was appointed as interim prosecutor in late December 2021, and ran unopposed for election in 2022.

In his letter to commissioners, McCrae cited family issues and an unspecified “opportunity” in his decision to resign. McCrae thanked “the people of Grant County for the 15 years I have spent here in the Prosecutor’s Office” and said he would “do everything I can to assist in a smooth transition.”

Because the position is politically partisan, McCrae’s resignation announcement triggered a process by which county GOP precinct committee officers could nominate up to three candidates for interim appointment by county commissioners Kevin Burgess, Cindy Carter, and Rob Jones.

They unanimously picked Guernsey for the interim post in a July 22 vote. The prosecutor’s job will be up for election in 2026 for a full four-year term.

“Brandon plans to bring experience, vision, and a commitment to transform the Prosecutor’s Office into one of the strongest and most community-centered departments in the state,” the commissioners stated in a press release.

Along with Guernsey, two other former Grant County deputy prosecutors, Carlee Bittle and Chad Jenks, also sought the appointment. Bittle is currently a deputy prosecutor in Kittitas County; Jenks in Chelan County.

In Washington, county prosecutors are responsible for charging violators of state laws and county ordinances, including juvenile, misdemeanor, and felony offenses. In addition, they serve as legal advisors to county commissioners, other county officials, and school directors, and often represent the county in civil actions.

In Grant County, the position currently carries an annual salary of $232,860.

Guernsey holds a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish from Weber State University in Utah and received his law degree in 2017 from the University of Louisville (Kentucky) Brandeis School of Law. He initially joined the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office in December 2017 and worked in district, juvenile, and superior courts, including prosecuting major drug crimes investigated by the INET unit.

Guernsey left Grant County early this year, traveling across the country to start work in February as an assistant district attorney in Augusta, Georgia. His trek now brings him back to Washington state and the Columbia Basin.

Grant County has seen mid-term departures from its prosecutors in the past.

McCrae’s predecessor, Garth Dano, left office in December 2021, a year prior to completion of his second term. Before that, John Knodell left the post in 2008 after his election as a superior court judge. That led to deputy prosecutor Angus Lee’s subsequent appointment by county commissioners as prosecutor in January 2009. Lee was defeated for re-election by Dano in 2014.

And Knodell was initially elected as prosecuting attorney in 1990 after defeating another interim appointee, Jerry Hamley, following the retirement of longtime prosecutor Paul Klasen.