Longtime Brownwood Police Sergeant, 55 year old Warren T. (Tom) Bates was found dead in his home at Mendenhall Valley, a suburb of Juneau, Alaska last Thursday afternoon, of an apparent heart-attack. Juneau Police Chief Greg Browning said an autopsy was performed Monday in Anchorage, but it could be several weeks before the autopsy results come in.

It appears to have been a natural death, but since it was an unattended death, Browning said they owe it to the Bates family to make sure.  Local funeral services are still being finalized, but according to the Davis-Morris funeral home in Brownwood, Bates’ body will be transported back to Texas around Dec 23^rd for services on or about December 29^th, with burial at Eastlawn Memorial Cemetery at Early.

Early reports indicate that Bates, who died just 4 days prior to his 56^th birthday, died of an apparent heart attack in his home.  He was employed as one of 7 Police Sergeants with the Juneau Alaska Police Dept where he had been since 2002.

In January, Tom Bates was being re-assigned as the Professional Standards Sergeant, which would have included more office work on issues such as training, accreditation and some internal affairs functions.

Brownwood Assistant Chief of Police Garry Page said Bates began his career in law Enforcement in Gilmer, Texas prior to coming to Brownwood as a patrol officer.  Tom Bates was a sergeant with the Brownwood Police Department.  He spent 17 years in law enforcement in Texas prior to moving to Juneau, Alaska in Sept 2002.