EWPD officers, K9 Maverick recognized with statewide awards

EAST WENATCHEE — Some police work ends quietly, with a report filed and a shift moving on. Other cases leave behind numbers large enough to hint at the scale of what officers are encountering across North Central Washington: millions of dollars in illegal marijuana plants, thousands of fentanyl pills, dozens of arrests and narcotics pulled off the streets before they could reach someone’s home or family.

The East Wenatchee Police Department is recognizing two officers whose work has placed them at the center of those efforts.

Sergeant Joshua Virnig and Officer Jordan Conley, along with Conley’s K9 partner Maverick, recently received statewide honors at the Washington State Narcotics Investigation Association annual conference after being nominated by Columbia River Drug Task Force Sergeant Cory Bernaiche.

Virnig was named the association’s 2025 Detective of the Year, recognition tied to several major investigations during his nearly four years with the Columbia River Drug Task Force. According to the department, one case involved coordination with a confidential informant that led to an arrest, drug seizures and the recovery of $68,000. Another investigation stretched over several months and culminated in a multi-agency operation targeting an illegal marijuana grow. Authorities arrested the primary suspect, shut down the operation and seized 3,214 marijuana plants with an estimated value of roughly $3 million.

The department said Virnig’s investigative work and leadership eventually led EWPD to move him back into patrol as a sergeant, cutting short his assignment with the task force.

Conley and Maverick received the association’s 2025 K9 of the Year award, recognition reflecting a workload that extended well beyond East Wenatchee city limits. According to the department, Maverick assisted outside agencies 23 times in 2025 and was deployed another 39 times within EWPD, contributing to 46 arrests overall. The department credited the K9 team with helping locate methamphetamine, fentanyl, fentanyl pills and cocaine during investigations throughout the year.

In announcing the awards, the department framed the recognition not only as an individual accomplishment, but as an example of the collaborative nature of modern narcotics enforcement in the region.

“One Team, One Goal,” the department wrote, pointing to the partnerships and shared investigations that increasingly define public safety work across North Central Washington.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media