‘Sudden death’ of upstate police chief announced

The police chief of West Union, South Carolina, died suddenly Tuesday night, Oconee County coroner Karl Addis reported.

Charles Edward Sanders, Jr. , 47, suffered a heart attack after arriving home from work. He had a pre-existing heart condition, the coroner said.

The death was classified as a natural death. No autopsy is planned, Addis said.

Sanders took over the chief position in this small town of less than 300 next to Walhalla in 2016 after serving as a police officer in Westminster, SC, since 2009, local media reported at the time.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 9:00 PM.