W.Va. corrections officer dies from COVID-19

PLEASANTS COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The first West Virginia correctional employee to die from COVID-19 has been reported.

State correctional officials say Cpl. Mark Rustemeyer died Saturday from complications to the virus. He was 58.

Cpl. Rustemeyer had served as an officer at Saint Marys Correctional Center in Pleasants County since 1998.

“Please keep Cpl. Rustemeyer, his wife, their family members, loved ones, friends, and colleagues in your prayers as we all mourn this terrible loss of a member of our correctional family,” Commissioner Betsy Jividen said in a statement to DCR staff. “Special prayers also to Cpl. Rustemeyer’s long-time friends and co-workers at SMCC at this most difficult time.”

Throughout the pandemic, 554 W.Va. Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation employees have tested positive for COVID-19, with 54 cases considered active Sunday.