From the desk of the Sheriff, a look back at 2019.

I wanted to give the citizens of Yuma County an accounting of how 2019 went for the Sheriff’s Office. The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office experienced several challenges early in the year in staffing, transition from the outgoing administration, financial processes, and inventory. The Office has worked tirelessly to correct these issues. I have been told by my staff posts can be too long, so I will forewarn you it’s probably going to happen again.

When I came in we were at half-staff throughout the Office and with that came challenges of getting calls covered and running a Jail. The staff that was there was efficient and hard working. They gave me a chance and I told them to look at everything they did and figure out how to do it better with less redundancy. I then stepped back and got out of their way. This decision led to a streamlining of procedures that allowed the Office to handle the work load without being at full strength. Over the course of time we are now fully staffed in the Jail and will be completely full on the Patrol side after a recruit completes the academy in July.

In January one of my biggest concerns was the Jail situation. Yuma County was boarding inmates not only here but also in Washington County which was a financial burden on the taxpayers of Yuma County. When I came on board, I wondered who I could find to run the Jail. I sat down with the Jail Sergeant Joe Wells and realized I had the correct individual for the job right in front of me. I told him to treat it as if it was his Jail and got out of his way. He has done a phenomenal hiring qualified personnel and getting our prisoners back from the Washington County Jail. We are also now housing inmates for several other agencies which will bring revenue into the County. I cannot stress enough the hard work of your Yuma County Jail Staff in providing a well-run Jail.

The patrol staff was also running at approximately half-staff. Since then we have been able to fill all of the positions. Capable law enforcement professionals were hired, with a combined 133 years of law enforcement experience, to serve the citizens of Yuma County. They have done a good job developing cases which led to search warrants and arrests of individuals involved in criminal activity. The Deputies have also been diligent in taking care of civil processes, VIN inspections, and other calls for service throughout the County. Patrol staff stepped up created new forms to replace outdated forms that led to confusion.

The administration staff was tasked with making the Sheriff’s Offices financial process more efficient and transparent. With their help and assistance from the County Administrator Andrea Calhoon and Yuma County Treasurer Dee Ann Stults I can say we have made many positive changes toward those goals. We have revised the budget to give a better picture of where the taxpayer’s money is going. They also worked to make office a more efficient place to do business in. Office Manager Stacy Zink worked to get the new website up and running, along with the much requested inmate information. These are the people who make the world go around.

I am truly honored to work with a dedicated group of individuals who have taken a proactive role in making a great Sherriff’s Office. They encourage me when I’m right and more importantly they tell me when I’m wrong. Thank you, employees of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, I appreciate it. I would also like to thank the following individuals for what they have done for the Sheriff’s Office. Thank you Yuma County Board of County Commissioners for working with me and the loan of the County Administrator, Andrea Calhoon. She has worked tirelessly to help me succeed. Thanks for your support during the legal issues we have weathered. Thank you Larry Gilliland for saying yes to being my Undersheriff. It doesn’t work without you. Thank you Molly Brunk for getting me pointed in the right direction. Thanks to all the other law enforcement agencies for working with us. And lastly, I want to thank the citizens of Yuma County. You have put your trust in us to give you good law enforcement but you didn’t stop there. Many of the cases we have been able to work to completion have been from information you have given us. Because of you we have taken down black market marijuana grows, recovered stolen vehicles, taken weapons off of criminals, raided suspected drug locations, arrested drug dealers and caught a shooting suspect to name a few. Together we will continue to work toward making Yuma County a great place to live in. Below you will find the year end stats for the Office. Thanks, Sheriff TC Combs

2019 Statistics

  • 3956 calls for service to Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (W-Y Comm Stats)
  • 47 Misdemeanor Arrests / 35 Felony Arrests were made by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office in 2019.
  • 13 Proactive arrests were made for Driving Under the Influence of Drug or Alcohol.
  • 21 Drug Arrests were made
  • 7 Search Warrants Served
  • 48 Burglary-Theft Cases were investigated.
  • 8 Livestock Complaints were investigated (*not loose livestock or dog issues)
  • 6 Suicides or Suicide Attempts
  • 7 Unattended Death Cases
  • 12 Sex Assaults investigated
  • 20 K-9 Deployments
  • 3 Minor Assaults
  • 24 Agency Assists
  • 3 Cruelty to Animals
  • 1 Stolen Property Recovery
  • 4 Stolen Vehicle Recovery
  • 11 Domestic Violence Cases
  • 2 Vandalism
  • 3 Arson Investigations (1 Agency Assist)
  • 11 Dangerous Dogs
  • 10 Cases of Mail / Wire Fraud
  • 2 Fraud by Check
  • 1 Elderly Abuse
  • 9 Civil Standbys
  • 4 Forgery Cases
  • 4 Harassment Cases
  • 4 Pursuits
  • 2 Reported Missing Persons
  • 1 Juvenile Death investigation
  • 2 Reported Kidnappings
  • 1 Illegal Explosives Case
  • 3 Stand Alone Protection Violations