Darrik Gregg announces campaign for GC sheriff
Gregg is challenging incumbent Joey Kriete of Moses Lake and another declared candidate, Josh Sainsbury of Ephrata.
MOSES LAKE – A third candidate has emerged for the position of Grant County sheriff.
Darrik Gregg, 51, is currently a patrol sergeant with the Moses Lake Police Department and a former chief deputy with the sheriff’s office.
Gregg is challenging incumbent sheriff Joey Kriete of Moses Lake and another declared candidate, Josh Sainsbury of Ephrata, now a sergeant with the sheriff’s office following his demotion from chief deputy last month.
All three are Republicans. If they remain in the race following the May filing period, there will be a runoff in the August primary with the top two advancing to the November general election.
“I’m running because I believe in strong, experienced leadership that puts public safety first, restores trust, and unites our diverse communities,” Gregg said in his campaign announcement. “Leadership is an action, not a position.”
“For the past 23 years, I’ve dedicated my life to serving and protecting our communities right here in Grant County,” he said.
Gregg began his law enforcement career in 2003 as a patrol officer with the Royal City Police Department before joining the sheriff’s office as a deputy in May 2006. He was later promoted to sergeant and then chief deputy in December 2016, overseeing emergency management and special operations.
In that position, Gregg said he gained “deep experience in leadership, crisis response, and keeping our county safe.”
Gregg and another chief deputy, Dustin Canfield, resigned from the sheriff’s office in 2021. At the time, neither expressed specific allegations of misconduct within the office.
But in tort claims and a joint lawsuit filed in 2022 in Grant County Superior Court, both alleged they were subjected to retaliatory conduct by then-sheriff Tom Jones for raising concerns that Jones’ younger brother, chief deputy Ken Jones, misused leave time while working independently for a private security firm in Seattle. Both Tom and Ken Jones strongly denied any impropriety. Both later retired from the office.
In March 2024, Gregg and Canfield moved their lawsuit to federal court. Last week, a jury trial scheduled for Feb. 9 was put on hold pending disposition of pre-trial issues being reviewed by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kriete, 54, was elected in 2022 as Tom Jones’ successor and is now seeking re-election to a second four-year term. Sainsbury, 49, announced his candidacy last month and was demoted from chief deputy of emergency operations to patrol sergeant by Kriete, who cited a need to ensure trust among members of his appointed administrative team.
Gregg’s campaign announcement described him as fair, approachable, and a leader of integrity while being “tough on crime.” Along with other community involvement, Gregg said he is an active member of the Behind the Badge Foundation’s line-of-duty death response team.
In Grant County, the sheriff’s position currently pays a yearly salary of $159,495 with responsibility for managing an office and jail with an annual budget of $28 million and nearly 150 employees.
In most Washington counties, sheriff positions are elected and partisan. Their responsibilities include crime prevention and investigations, serving warrants and other court orders, maintaining public peace, and responding to emergencies.
