Ronald N. Stokes Jr., Allegheny County’s deputy sheriff and a longtime public servant, died Friday, Aug. 15. He was 54.

Deputy Stokes was a U.S. Marine and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He spent more than 30 years working in law enforcement, with the majority of that time acting in his role as deputy sheriff for Allegheny County.

His passing was unexpected and came as a shock to members of the department, according to Sheriff Kevin Kraus.

“This hit our agency pretty hard, and we're doing our best to get through it, but he's certainly going to be missed,” Sheriff Kraus said.

Sheriff Kraus was still working for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police when he first met the deputy sheriff in the early 2000s. As the two worked together, he said it was clear to him that Deputy Stokes w

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