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Morrow County Sheriff John A Bowles
Sheriff John Bowles grew up in Banks, Oregon. He served in the US Army, worked in farming, and was a general contractor in residential and commercial construction. He was also a Journeyman Iron Worker.
Sheriff Bowles began his Law Enforcement career with the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office in February 2002. He began this career as a 911 Call Taker/Dispatcher. He proceeded to become a Reserve Patrol Deputy and furthered his career as a Marine Patrol Deputy. In August of 2003, he was promoted to a full-time Patrol Deputy. In 2005, John was recognized as the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputy of the Year.
When the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office began providing Parole and Probation services in 2010, John was selected to be dual certified as a Patrol and the Parole and Probation Deputy. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious Victor G. Atiyeh Award at the commencement ceremony for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training’s Parole Officer Certification program. This highly regarded award is presented to the outstanding student who displays exceptional professionalism, exemplary attitude and outstanding achievement in leadership and academics.
In February of 2016. John was promoted to the position of Undersheriff by then Sheriff, Kenneth Matlack. In addition to his Undersheriff duties, John was also the Morrow County Emergency Manager. John led the county through many major events, including Search and Rescues missions, Large Fires, Flooding, the Solar Eclipse and the Covid-19 pandemic. As Undersheriff, John was responsible for the overall management and operations of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office. His duties included budget management and supervision of 52 full-time, part-time and reserve (volunteer) employees.
In October of 2022, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners unanimously appointed John as the seventeenth Sheriff of Morrow County and he was sworn in on November 1, 2022. In November of 2024 John was elected by the voters of Morrow County to remain their Sheriff for another four-year term.
Sheriff Bowles holds multiple law enforcement certifications within the Marine, Patrol and Parole and Probation divisions. He has over 3200 Law Enforcement training hours with DPSST (Department of Public Safety Standards and Training) and serves on several city, county and state boards and committees. In 2021, John was selected by the Heppner Chamber of Commerce as Man of the Year for his hard work and dedication to the job and community members. Sheriff Bowles works to serve and protect the rights of all people. He also believes that the safety, security and livability of Morrow County residents and visitors is a top priority.
Sheriff Bowles and his wife Kristen reside in Heppner and have raised three children who graduated from Heppner High School. He values his family and enjoys spending time with his grandchildren. You might find Sheriff Bowles enjoying a round of golf at the Willow Creek Country Club in Heppner or Mile Maker 40 golf club in Boardman.
