MESA COUNTY, Colo. – A 41 year veteran of the force died from COVID-19 Friday morning, becoming the second law enforcement officer to die from the disease in Colorado this week alone.
Sergeant Wayne Weyler of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office died Friday after losing his battle to COVID-19, reads a statement from the sheriff’s Office posted to CrimeWatch.net. He was 64.
Weyler first served the community with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office before joining the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in 1996.
His tenure included the investigation and the successful prosecution of many notable homicide cases in Mesa County, as well as leading the agency’s Peer Support program, according to the post on CrimeWatch. Most recently, it read, Weyler helped pioneer the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Crime Reduction Unit and led the Complex Crimes Unit.
“Wayne gave so much of himself to serve his fellow man. He was a leader, mentor, and genuinely nice human being. Words can’t express how much he will be missed,” said Sheriff Todd Rowell. “Please join us in honoring his memory and sending your thoughts and prayers to his family.”
In the statement, a spokesman said the agency was thankful to other law enforcement partners and the community for their support as they mourn the loss of one of their own. His COVID-19 vaccination status was not mentioned in the post.
Weyler is now the eighth law enforcement officer in Colorado to die after contracting the disease since the start of the pandemic last year.
On Thursday, a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detective passed away from COVID-19 complications. An Elbert County deputy, a Platte Valley paramedic, a Windsor Police Department officer, an El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputy, and two deputies with the Denver Sheriff Department are among the first responders who have died after contracting the novel virus.
