The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Columbia County Sheriff Walt Hessler told county commissioners last week that he will retire, effective June 30. Also an- nouncing her retirement in June is Carole Sleeman, who is administrative assistant and chief civil deputy in the Sheriff's Office.

Hessler is currently serving his second term, which ends in 2014. He was origi- nally elected sheriff as a write-in candidate in 2006. He was re-elected in 2010.

Hessler declined an interview request from The Times. In a written statement released through public in- formation officer Dian Mc- Clurg, Hessler said he was leaving "without fanfare".

Hessler began his law enforcement career in 1995 when he joined the Columbia County Sheriff's office as a reserve deputy, after several years working for the Walla Walla road depart- ment. He became a full-time road deputy in 1997 and later served as undersheriff for Sheriff James J. LaTour.

According to McClurg, Sleeman has worked in the Sheriff's Office for 30 years. She began in the dispatch center and eventually be- came dispatch supervisor. In 2011, when management of the county's dispatch center shifted from the sheriff's office to the county's emer- gency management depart- ment, Sleeman remained with the sheriff's office and has since worked full time as administrative assistant/civil deputy for Sheriff Hessler.

During their January 16 meeting, the County commissioners asked Sleeman if she would consider working past June 30, to help train her replacement. She tentatively agreed.

By state law, the Colum- bia County Republican party will began process of select- ing Hessler's replacement, since he ran as a Republican in the last election. They will select the names of three potential candidates and pass them on to the County commissioners. The com- missioners will then appoint one of those on the list to replace Hessler.

Dwight Richter, who is state committeeman for the Columbia County Republicans, said local party offi- cials intend to move quickly. They will invite applications and begin interviews within a month, he said. They hope to have the list of names to the Commissioners by early March.

"We want to move for- ward quickly," Richter said. He is urging interested can- didates to contact him or the county's party chairman Tom Bensel as soon as pos- sible.

Columbia County Commissioner Dwight Robanske said that the commission- ers hope to have Hessler's replacement named well before June. They would like the new sheriff to be involved in helping select Sleeman's replacement.