This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Longtime Box Elder County Sheriff Joseph Lynn Yeates died Tuesday morning of a heart attack at his Brigham City home.
An officer checked on Yeates, 68, after he did not show up to work and found him unresponsive, Box Elder County Commissioner Stan Summers said.
Yeates — sworn in Monday for his third term as the northwestern Utah county's chief law enforcement officer — had been sheriff since 2007.
His wife, Lynda Yeates, had died on Nov. 5 at age 72.
"It's a huge loss for a community," said Summers. "It's a community that doesn't take our officers lightly. We appreciate the people that put their lives on the line to keep our freedoms and the happiness we enjoy."
The vacancy left by Yeates' death will be filled through a special election.
Yeates joined the sheriff's office in 1975 as a crime lab technician, later moving up the ranks to patrol deputy, detective, sergeant, jail commander and chief deputy before being elected sheriff.
In addition to running his 100-employee staff, he also taught first aid and CPR classes, oversaw organization of Neighborhood Watch, disaster and emergency preparation programs, and was active in the Boy Scouts.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Twitter: @remims