July 7, 2022 |
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Department is shocked and grieving from the sudden and unexpected passing of Deputy Jeff Walton. “An unimaginable loss” is how the official release from the sheriff’s office describes Walton’s passing.
Walton died either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. No details were made available. The Sheriff’s Office has been in close contact with the Walton family “during this tragic time,” the release states.
The official statement from the Sheriff’s Office also notes that “service to community comes at a cost, often times at a heavy personal cost, all too frequently those can be extremely steep.”
During his 40-year career, Deputy Walton served in a variety of different positions, starting at the Rawlins Police Department in 1982 as a dispatcher. In 1987, he moved to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Deputy, rising through the ranks to Lieutenant/Jail Administrator. Deputy Walton also served in the positions of patrol deputy, court security deputy, evidence custodian, and dispatcher.
In 2015, Deputy Walton retired from the Sheriff’s Office and started working as a Code Enforcement Officer with the City of Rawlins. In 2020, Deputy Walton came back to the Sheriff’s Office as Court Security Deputy.
The release also goes on to note that “During his years of service to our community, like all law enforcement officers, Deputy Walton had experienced a wide variety of both positive and negative events with citizens, victims, and suspects alike. Although deputies are trained professionals, they are first and foremost humans. The stoic emotions we steadfastly maintain while on duty crumbles when we return to our homes and loved ones.”
Sheriff Archie Roybal was out town over the weekend and unavailable for comment. Undersheriff Shawn Kelly, who approved the official release, told Bigfoot 99 that “Jeff was a great person, mentor and great friend.”
Undersheriff Kelly spoke to Saratoga Town Council last night as a scheduled agenda item. The undersheriff did not address the passing of the deputy directly but spoke to the stress law enforcement officers face daily.
The undersheriff said every police department in the country, big and small, is coping with the same set of professional and personal problems in their ranks.
Plans for services will be announced in the coming days.
