Moody

ENTERPRISE — The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners has appointed Ryan Moody to replace Sheriff Joel Fish, who has resigned his position effective Jan. 1.

Moody, a sergeant in the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office, has been with the department for 18 months after decades working with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

Moody will replace Fish effective Dec. 16, when Fish takes advantage of accumulated vacation time to get a jump on his plans to move back to North Carolina to care for his mother.

In moving to appoint Moody at the commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6, Commissioner Todd Nash, who attended the meeting remotely, noted that there have been numerous letters of recommendation in favor of Moody. Fish recommended Moody to the commissioners as his replacement.

Commissioner Susan Roberts said Moody “has all the requirements of someone we want for sheriff.”

Moody has filed to run for sheriff in the 2024 election. He will face at least one opponent on the ballot — James E. Dickenson of Enterprise also has filed for the position. Dickenson spent 22 years full-time with the Franklin County (Washington) Sheriff’s Office, based in Pasco. He retired as a senior sergeant of patrol in January 2017.