Undersheriff Matthew John Lane

Matthew John Lane

Undersheriff Lane was killed in an airplane accident during a search-and-rescue mission near the Sherman Pass summit at 1000 hours.

He and a civilian pilot were part of a rescue effort searching for a missing woman. The woman was found later in the afternoon when she walked out of the woods near the point where she was reported missing. The pilot of the Cessna 172 was also killed in the accident.

Undersheriff Lane had served with the 8-person department for 13 years. He had previously served with the Republic Police Department for four years and with the Soap Lake Police Department. In 1999, he was shot in the cheek when he responded to a neighborhood disturbance.

He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, two brothers, and four sisters.