A longtime DeKalb County, Alabama, sheriff’s deputy died Tuesday from complications of COVID-19.
“It’s with a heavy heart that the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office announces the passing of one of our own,” spokesperson Tyler Pruett said in a statement issued by the department. “Deputy Mickey Bowen had served 21 years with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, working both in the detention center and most recently as a transport deputy.”
Bowen, 49, had been hospitalized at the UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, prior to his death on Tuesday, according to Pruett.
“Recently, Mickey was enjoying his promotion to chief executive assistant in the detention center,” Pruett said.
Bowen, from the Crossville community in southern DeKalb County, is survived by his wife and two daughters. Services for Bowen were held Friday in Crossville.
“Deputy Bowen was very much loved by all of us, and not only at work, but in the DeKalb County community as a whole,” Pruett said.
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The sheriff noted the impact of Bowen’s death amid the stressful pandemic.
“Dealing with the pandemic these last few months has made our jobs more difficult, but losing such a beloved member of our team really hits hard,” DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said.
“Mickey always had a way of making us laugh and brightening our day,” Welden said, calling on the public to keep Bowen and his family in their prayers.
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“He was always there for his co-workers, and was just a great human being to be around,” the sheriff said. “To us, it’s like losing a close family member.”
On the department’s social media page, a fellow deputy wrote of the loss.
“He was one of a kind,” deputy Mary Waters wrote in her post. “I will miss him and his humor.”
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.