Lake County's Sciaretta named Deputy of the Year

A cool head and some quick thinking one night last December has resulted in a statewide award for a member of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.

Det. Scott Sciaretta received the Deputy of the Year award during a ceremony in the District courtroom at the Lake County Courthouse. Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn Meehan, president of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, was in town to present the award. He congratulated Sciaretta, then read from a nomination document submitted by Lake County Undersheriff Ben Woods.

Meehan described the night of Dec. 30, 2020, when Sciaretta, who had just completed a shift and was off duty at the time, responded to a call of a man in crisis in a remote area of the county.

Sciaretta was closest to the man’s home and was first to respond.

Lake County dispatch received a call from a man who said he believed his father was intoxicated and experiencing a psychotic episode. He said his father owned firearms and had fired one round inside the home earlier in the day.

Sciaretta took cover behind a vehicle near a porch and dispatchers convinced the man to come outside to the porch. Sciaretta and another officer continued to talk to the man, who occasionally became agitated and reached just inside the doorway.

Sciaretta asked if the man wanted to speak to his son, and the man agreed. The detective spoke to the son briefly, then offered to throw the phone to the man on the porch. As he threw the phone, Sciaretta seized on the opportunity to tackle and cuff the man at the home’s entrance. Deputies then discovered a .44 Colt Magnum revolver just inside the doorway.

“Sciaretta’s communication skills, combined with his quick and creative thinking, likely resulted in saving the man’s life,” Meehan read. “And avoided death or injury or a possible officer-involved shooting.”