Former St. Clair County Sheriff Dan Lane passed away on Sunday.
Current Sheriff Mat King made the announcement to the department, saying everyone is greatly saddened and have heavy hearts with the news.
Sheriff King said Lane was a great presence with the department for forty years and was a man of honor and integrity who will be greatly missed.
Lane was a veteran of the United States Army, serving during the Viet Nam war. Upon leaving the army in 1968, he briefly worked for the Yale Police Department before being hired as a Special Deputy with the St. Clair County Sheriff Department in October of 1968.
In March of 1969, he became a full time deputy. Lane was promoted to Sergeant in 1978 and was instrumental in establishing the St. Clair County Drug Task Force, which began it’s operations in 1985.
Lane ran a successful campaign for Sheriff in 1988 before retiring from that position in 2008, after serving in that role for 20 years.
Lane was the longest tenured sheriff in St. Clair County history, according to the department.
