Sheriff John Sharp

John Christopher Sharp served in what was nearly a law enforcement dynasty from 1922 through 1946. Six times he was elected by the people of Modoc County to the office of sheriff. John Sharp started his life in Surprise Valley, in a family that had settled there in 1864. He went to school in Cedarville and later worked as a rancher and blacksmith. He married Harriet Essex in 1912, and they had two daughters. After being elected and serving for four years as a Modoc County supervisor for District 2, Sharp filed as a candidate for sheriff. To accommodate his office of sheriff, John Sharp moved his family to Alturas. After he was elected, he appointed Robert D. Smith to the position of chief deputy sheriff. Sharp encountered many lawless acts. One of the most senseless crimes was a 1937 homicide that stemmed from a feud between two rival newspapers in Alturas. Claude McCracken from the struggling Modoc Mail newspaper was murdered by Harry French of the Alturas Plaindealer. The murder occurred in downtown Alturas in front of witnesses. French was tried and convicted of first degree murder. Following the footsteps of his predecessors in the years of prohibition, Sharp was constantly on the lookout for people manufacturing distilled spirits for the general public and for bootleggers. It was a busy time for law enforcement in Modoc County. John Sharp passed away in 1950.