California Borough police chief dies unexpectedly
Observer-Reporter
In this file photo from 2019, California Borough Mayor Frank Stetar swears in Timothy Sheehan as police chief.
A line of vehicles ushered the body of California Borough Police Department Chief Tim Sheehan, who died in the line of duty, from Mon Valley Hospital back to the borough where he lived and worked.
The California Borough police chief died unexpectedly due to a health issue Thursday.
Chief Tim Sheehan, 50, died of an apparent heart attack, the borough said.
“Our community is saddened by the sudden passing of our chief of police and brother firefighter Tim Sheehan,” California Mayor Frank Stetar stated in a social media post Thursday afternoon.
“Please keep the Sheehan family in your thoughts and prayers during these difficult times. Rest In Peace, Tim,” Stetar stated.
A long line of vehicles ushered Sheehan’s body from Mon Valley Hospital, where he died, back to the borough where he worked, said Larry Pollock, chief of the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department.
“He was not a title guy,” Pollock said. “He was all about the community.”
Pollock said Sheehan was well-respected in the local school district where he once served as a school resources officer.
“The kids absolutely idolized him,” Pollock said.
Sheehan was appointed chief in an unanimous council vote in February 2019 after having worked as a California police officer for a decade. He also was a former police officer in Masontown, Fayette County. He was also a firefighter with Brownsville Fire Company No. 1.
He survived by his wife, Kim, and two sons and a daughter.