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Colorado Deputy Resigned Days Before Body Found In Fire

BAYFIELD, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a 42-year-old sheriff's deputy who was found unresponsive inside a burning home resigned three days before he died.

A statement released Tuesday by the La Plata County Sheriff's Office said that Deputy Jeremiah Lee also notified the office "about a personal situation" during the first week of October, prompting an administrative investigation.

The sheriff's office also asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to do an independent investigation.

Jeremiah Lee (CREDIT Colorado Cattlemens Association, taken in February)
Jeremiah Lee accepts an award in February. (credit: Colorado Cattlemen's Association)

The office didn't provide more detail about what prompted the investigations.

The statement said Lee resigned on Oct. 10. It says a member of the office's crisis intervention team spoke with Lee on Thursday night and the two planned to meet for lunch soon.

The fire at Lee's home was reported shortly after midnight on Friday.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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