SANFORD, Fla. — A Florida sheriff's office is mourning the loss of one of their own after a sergeant and former U.S. Marine died after contracting COVID-19.
Sgt. James LaRue, who worked with the Department of Corrections, died Saturday, Nov. 21, from complications of the virus, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said in a prepared statement.
After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996, he went on to the sheriff's office in 1999 as a detention deputy trainee and was promoted to sergeant in 2010.
The office says LaRue previously received a life-saving award in 2017, which was one of his many recognitions.
It's not believed he contracted COVID-19 while working at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility, but his passing will be considered as a "line of duty death."
"We ask that you please keep the LaRue family and all of the members of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," the agency said. "Sgt. LaRue was a beloved member of the agency and will be deeply missed."
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