This is an original non-fiction narrative of a contemporary Pacific Northwest Hero. No group of Hollywood writers could invent a more compelling make-believe character. His daring exploits would make the late crazy motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel set up in his grave and tip his crash helmet towards Rick. I decided to tell his life story as a suspense narrative. Because Rick’s life is the poster child for a Hollywood style suspense/thriller movie. “Shatterproof… the countless lives of Sheriff Rick.” At first it was to be ‘the nine lives of Sheriff Rick,’ but that would be grossly undersold. Skagit County Washington’s Sheriff Richard Grimstead is that real life-amazing person. Who hasn’t said… I know a Weird-Wiley or Naughty-Nancy. Their adventures, or escapades, would make a great book or movie. The lifeblood of all T.V. reality shows is placing ordinary people, like the viewers, into extra ordinary situations. And not unlike the reality show Survivor, Rick Grimstead is for real. At just eleven, he spent a month running down, corralling and breaking Rago, an ornery wild range stallion. Then to make him run he accidentally set fire to thousands of wilderness acres in Washington State. While attending Washington State University, Rick's numerous sophomoric pranks got him expelled. Then living a type of snow ski bum and or life of Riley existence survived several late night car crashes sending a couple buddies to the hospital. Also survived extreme high dives to impress a crowd of onlookers. After his famous father, at least at WSU, pulled some strings, getting Ricky back into WSU he took on some risky summer jobs. Ignoring many safety orders, Rick just barley survived high falls and being crushed to death with no trace of him to claim. As a broke, bone-tired, overworked, newly married young man, he crashed his car into the bottom of a thirty-foot deep irrigation canal. In Vietnam, he was awarded twenty-nine Air Medals, flying six hundred helicopter combat missions. After completing his tour in Nam, he saved his flight crew and scores of Hawaiian sunbathers from sudden death, redirecting a harrowing helicopter crash. While on duty as a Washington State Trooper, he had several narrow escapes from out-of-control drivers. When Sheriff Rick retired after two elected terms, I approached him about telling his life story. At first, he declined saying to me “au shucks my life’s no big deal.” His family and everyone else that have heard of his exploits vibrantly disagreed. When I asked his wife Kay, about Rick’s daredevil stunts she told me, “Rick doesn’t have a death wish… he just thinks he can do anything.”
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