On October 21, 2016, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office delivered a nice Halloween surprise to children at Washington Elementary School when they arrived with a truckload of Halloween pumpkins. Students were all able to pick out their own pumpkin courtesy of the Sheriff’s Office. 

Undersheriff James Standley, Chief Deputy Jake Schultz, Lieutenant John Zwahlen, Sergeant Louis Capasso and Training Coordinator Carl Johnston were all on hand to help distribute the pumpkins. Each pumpkin was grown in the Purgatory Garden located immediately behind the Purgatory Correctional Facility. The garden is tended to by inmates of the facility as part of their rehabilitative process. Overall, more than 1000 pumpkins were delivered. Almost of all the resources needed to maintain the Purgatory Garden throughout the year are donated by local companies such as Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot and Star Nursery. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them, and all our other community partners, for their continued support. This pumpkin delivery has become a yearly event and is thoroughly enjoyed by both the children and the staff involved.