Moffat County Detention Sergeant Lance Pryce Embraces Wildland Firefighting Role

Steamboat Springs —Lance Pryce didn’t move to Moffat County for the job. He moved for the trout, and then he found himself stuck in a detention center with a bighorn sheep trophy on the wall.

It was November when he first drove into the Yampa Valley, snow dusting the ground and trees holding onto late autumn colors. He looked down at the Yampa River and thought, That looks like a really good place to fish. That single observation set the trajectory for a career shift that most people in Craig might not expect from their detention staff.

Pryce, now a detention sergeant with the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, didn’t take a direct path to this corner of Colorado. Originally from West Virginia, he spent 16 years running a custom cabinet shop alongside his brother. When his brother died of cancer, Pryce decided it was time for a change. He told his wife he wanted to move west, driven by a love of hunting and fishing. She agreed. They sold everything and packed up.

The destination, however, was determined by a TSA manager in Hayden who asked if he had ever visited the Yampa Valley. Pryce hadn’t. He made the trip, liked what he saw, and accepted a position in Durango before eventually settling into the valley. He worked for the Transportation Security Administration for nearly eight years, left briefly, and returned to Moffat County in 2019.

But his role has expanded far beyond processing inmates. Pryce serves as an engine boss and crew boss in wildland firefighting, a duty that has taken him into the remote corners of the county: Browns Park, Great Divide, and Powder Wash. He is currently training for additional incident command responsibilities.

“People enjoyed life, worked hard and overall seemed to really get along with each other,” Pryce said of the community. He noted that Moffat County felt more like the place where he grew up than other Colorado communities did.

The work has given him a closer look at parts of the county many residents never see. The remoteness appeals to him, as do the sunsets. He fell in love with it, quite literally, after harvesting a bighorn sheep here — a detail captured in a courtesy photo that now hangs in his memory as much as on his wall.

Former Moffat County Sheriff KC Hume administered the oath of office to Pryce, cementing his place in the local law enforcement family. Pryce stands with deputies Eptree and Morgan, and Mary Longwell, at the scene of recent wildfires, bridging the gap between the detention center and the fire line.

Not exactly a typical deputy’s commute, but it works. Stand there long enough and you realize that Pryce isn’t just filling a slot in the roster. He’s living the life he came here for, while ensuring the people behind bars are accounted for and the brush fires don’t get out of hand.

The sun sets over Browns Park, casting long shadows across the dirt roads. Pryce is likely out there somewhere, engine running, waiting for the next call.