TUMWATER – A prison officer who once worked at the Clallam Bay Correctional Center died of complications from COVID-19, announced the state Department of Corrections.
Prison officer David A. Christensen, 62, died on Tuesday, the department said on Wednesday.
“Our hearts are with the bereaved family of Officer Christensen and we honor the sacrifice they made,” said Stephen Sinclair, Secretary of Corrections.
“It is a tragedy to lose a member of our public security community and correctional family.”
Christensen has worked for the Department since May 2020, having previously served 2015-2017 at the correction centers in Clallam Bay and Stafford Creek.
Christensen has had a long career in prisons and criminal justice, working over the years for the Oregon Department of Corrections, the Grays Harbor County Jail, the Aberdeen Police Department and the Grays Harbor County Youth Department.
“I met Dave in person several years ago and he has always impressed me with his leadership skills and his desire to support his fellow officers,” said Ron Haynes, superintendent of Stafford Creek Correctional Center.
“Dave was a good man and it will be missed by all of us who have had the honor of working with him and getting to know him.”
The department will look at Christensen’s death as a possible death from duty.