Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office announced the tragic loss of Deputy John W. King #501 who died on Monday, September 30. King joined the department in 2013 when he was appointed as the Chief Criminal Deputy by Sheriff Turner. After doing a stint as the Chief of Operations, John retired but stayed on with Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office as a Reserve Deputy. King returned as the interim Chief Deputy in 2018 before going back to his Reserve status where he remained until his passing.

King had a long law-enforcement career beginning in 1979 at the Riverside, CA County Sheriff's Office. King also worked for the Fullerton California Police Department and served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. John took pride in his family, often bragging about them, and was an avid outdoorsman and well known at the YMCA. John will be fondly remembered as being a cop's cop with a sense of humor that could draw a crowd.