Feds honor slain forest service man

Published 9:31 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

Shane Wyrsch’s widow, Zoe, was in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Sept. 25, to receive a posthumous medal on her husband’s behalf.

Wyrsch, a law enforcement officer for the U.S Forest Service, was awarded the “2007 Excellence in Law Enforcement and Investigations Award” by U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell.

“Officer Shane Wyrsch was a leader in the law enforcement and investigations organization, and within the local law enforcement community,” said Thomas Lyons, special agent in charge of Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations for the Pacific Northwest. Lyons nominated Wyrsch for the honor.

Wyrsch was instrumental in development of a critical incident team in the region. He volunteered for duty in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath and during the recovery of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew and ship. He was integral in a multi-million dollar cedar theft investigation now before the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Wyrsch, 35, died March 20 after his vehicle was struck head-on by a vehicle that crossed the center line on state Route 410 near Buckley. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide; he allegedly was driving drunk at the time of the collison.

Wyrsch was a graduate of Mount Si High School. He is survived by his wife and two children – Marcus, 5, and Kye, 3 – who all live in Enumclaw.