A former Cascade County Sheriff’s Office deputy was killed in a ranching accident on Jan. 22.
Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said on Jan. 23 that retired Cpl. Jay Groskreutz, 54, died of traumatic asphyxia, according to the initial investigation.
Groskreutz started at CCSO in April 2000 and over his career served as a sniper on the SWAT team, court security and search and rescue.
He retired in October 2023, Slaughter said.
“Everyone at the sheriff’s office remembers Jay as a one-of-a-kind human being whose love for his family and passion for the outdoors was evident every time Jay had a story to share. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Slaughter said in a release.
In 2022, Groskreutz challenged Slaughter for sheriff, losing in the primary.
In announcing his campaign, he said he intended to “wage a county-wide war on drugs and make recruiting and retaining quality employees for the sheriff’s office his priorities. He has served Cascade County as Search and
Rescue coordinator, SWAT team member, coroner, school resource officer, Belt resident deputy and civil courthouse supervisor.”
A meal train has been organized for Groskreutz’ family and signups are here.
