Animal Control Deputy Tracey Kellas was named the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Employee of the Year for 2009.
Sheriff Bill Benedict said Kellas won the department’s top award for “exceptional dedication to service” as the county’s only animal control officer.
Benedict presided over the third sheriff’s awards banquet on Feb. 21 at the Eagles Lodge in Port Angeles.
“Tracey has done an awesome job,” Benedict said.
“She handles the most calls out of anybody in the department. She’s the only one that handles animal complaints.”
Benedict said Kellas does the work of about three animal control officers.
Kellas has been working for the Sheriff’s Office for 12 years.
“Deputy Kellas has taken the animal control program to a new and higher level and has provided the best animal control resources possible for the citizens of Clallam County,” Benedict said.
Command staff in the Sheriff’s Office selects the winners.
More than 160 attended the awards banquet.
There are 91 employees in the Sheriff’s Office.
Other awards:
• Deputy Bill Cortani received the Medal of Valor and Purple Heart awards. Cortani was engaged in a gun battle with an armed assailant last January near Sekiu. His assailant, Scott L. Davis, is charged with attempted murder and awaits trial in the Clallam County jail.
• Civil Deputy Deb Everts and Undersheriff Ron Peregrin received the Sheriff Star Medal for excellence in service.
• Sgt. Nick Turner received the Merit Award.
• Lifesaving Medals were awarded to Corrections Officers Kellie Abbott, Steve Brooks, Ray Cooper, Gary Gort, Eric Morris, Dick Pitt and Mary Rupprecht and Sgt. Jeff Finley for thwarting four attempted suicides.
• Meritorious Service Awards went to Sgt. Don Wenzl, Finley, Sgt. Grant Lightfoot, Kellas, Deputies Jef Boyd and Josh Ley, Emergency Management Program Coordinators Jamye Wisecup and Penny Linterman, Lead Food Service Worker Tom Shumway and Administrative Coordinator Chris James.
• Meritorious Unit Citations were awarded to the Marine Unit (Deputies Ralph Edgington, Bobby Cannon, Boyd, Eric Munger and Sgt. Randy Pieper), the computer records management system conversion team (Luke Brown, Sylvia Orth, Finley, Karen Roberts, Mary Rupprecht, Matt Blore, Annie Lowe and Chris James) and jail medical support (Patti Leseur, Chuck Henke and Kathy Traxinger).
• Commendation Awards went to Pieper, Deputies Mel Kempf and Ken Oien and Corrections Officer Buddy Depew.
Benedict said every employee in the department is committed to excellence in service to the public.
“I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them,” Benedict said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
