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The Kentucky State Police confirmed that Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman was found dead in his Nicholasville home Sunday.

Trooper Adam Hall of the KSP said that law enforcement does not suspect foul play and the sheriff’s death is believed to be due to “natural causes”.

The KSP is currently handling the investigation and the autopsy will be handled by the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort.

Hall said that a relative discovered Corman’s body at his residence on West Maple St. earlier in the afternoon.

Neighbors said that police showed up to the residence late in the afternoon and by 5 p.m. the front yard was full of vehicles from the Nicholasville Police, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, the Kentucky State Police and the Jessamine County Coroner’s Office.

Condolences were quick to come in from the law enforcement community and from officials in higher levels of government.

“Britainy and I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Sheriff Kevin Corman, as well as the entire community of Jessamine County, which he served with pride. Sheriff Corman was a friend, and we are grateful for his commitment to the people of Kentucky. We mourn his loss,” Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a Twitter post.

Representative Andy Barr from Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District also paid tribute to Corman.

“A community leader who always had a smile on his face,” Barr wrote of Corman in a social media post.

Jessamine County Judge-Executive David West will remember the late sheriff for the number of times he encountered Corman on his phone.

“When someone called he answered. If he could help, he did. That certainly made him endearing to many people. I’ve never seen a public official that himself as accessible as Kevin,” West said in a phone interview with the Journal.

Trooper Hall said the KSP’s thoughts were with the Corman family and the sheriff’s deputies.

“Our thoughts just go out with the sheriff’s office and the family. Every time there’s a death, it’s tragic for everyone,” Hall said.

Jessamine County Jailer Jon Sallee, who worked under Corman as a deputy, expressed his sympathies in a Facebook post.

“Jessamine County has lost so much more than a sheriff, we have a lost a true public servant in every since of the word. We have lost a man who truly thought of everyone as a friend and would bend over backwards to prove his friendship,” Sallee wrote. “I had the privilege of working under Kevin as a deputy and I got to see his compassion for people first hand. He taught me that you don’t judge a book by its cover and to treat those that you serve with respect. When I worked under Kevin he told me to always remember that every person I arrest is someone’s son or daughter and to always treat citizens how I would want my family to be treated. I have never forgotten that conversation.”

The Nicholasville Police Department expressed its condolences online.

“The Nicholasville Police Department wishes to extend our profound and ardent condolences for the loss of Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman. Our thoughts are with the Corman family and our brothers and sisters of the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office,” a post on the department’s Facebook page reads.

Corman had served as sheriff since being elected to the post in 2006 after serving as a deputy since 1986. He lost the Republican primary for sheriff last week to Kevin Grimes.

West appointed Lt. Anthony Purcell of the sheriff’s office to serve the rest of Corman’s term which expires in January 2023.

Visitation for Corman will be held from 2-9 p.m. Thursday at RJ Corman Hangar 2 located at 101 RJ Corman Dr. and from 11 a.m-1 p.m. on Friday at the same location. Funeral services will follow the Friday visitation.