Sheriff Snaza returns to Thurston County

After weeks away, Sheriff John Snaza finally returned to Thurston County on Wednesday afternoon.

Officials aren’t sure when he’ll resume work at the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office — but he is expected to make a full recovery.

For now, everyone with the Sheriff’s Office — including Snaza — is happy he’s back in town, said Undersheriff Tim Braniff.

“He was just chomping at the bit to get home, to get out of there,” Braniff said.

For the past few weeks, Snaza has been recovering at Harborview Rehabilitation Center in Seattle. Before that, he was hospitalized at Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Snaza had been traveling with a group of friends on Aug. 23 on Montana Route 200 at milepost 23 near Noxon when he lost control of his 2009 Harley-Davidson while driving around a curve, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

His injuries included a punctured lung, a lacerated kidney, a severely broken left arm and a damaged right hand. Snaza underwent a successful surgery to fuse a bone in his neck.

On Friday, Snaza traveled to Seattle to have a cast removed from his arm, Braniff said. He will continue his medical treatment locally.

“He’s doing good, he’s in good spirits,” Braniff said. “He still has that twinkle in his eye.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Sheriff Snaza returns to Thurston County."