RUPERT, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Chief of Police for the Town of Rupert, WV, Chuck Burkhamer, has announced that he will be stepping down as Chief while taking time to combat a stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
The development was announced late Wednesday evening by Burkhamer himself, who indicated intentions to direct his attention toward family and the navigating of a cancer which has apparently spread to various parts of the longtime lawman’s body.
“As of August 1 2023 I will no longer be your Chief of Police,” said Burkhamer. “I have come down with stage 4 cancer in several parts of my body. I need to take this time and spend with my family and figure out how to fight this terrible disease.”
Burkhamer has had an extensive career in law enforcement, coming onboard with the Town of Rupert Police Department in 2021 following time spent as Chief of Police for the City of Richwood, Sergeant at Smithers Police Department, and as an officer in Gauley Bridge and Clendenin.
“Rupert is a special place. I couldn’t ask for a better mayor or town council to have worked for,” he continued. “The citizens of this town are second to none. When you need them, they always deliver.”
Burkhamer’s departure has reportedly already gone into effect at the time of writing, with August 1, 2023, having been designated as the point at which he would no longer fill the position.
The cancer diagnosis follows a pair of similar situations – in 2016 and 2020, respectively – in which Burkhamer reports having been able to successfully overcome the disease. Wednesday’s announcement disclosed, however, that the returning condition has displayed a level of aggressiveness not experienced in past encounters.
“I will continue this fight and hopefully will come out the other end smiling. But I need to give my family all the attention I possibly can,” he said. “God is good all the time and is the greatest healer. With his help I have no doubt I will come out the other side smiling.”
It was also indicated in the announcement that the Town of Rupert Police Department Facebook page will soon be removed so as to allow the as of yet unnamed successor to the position to establish a page of their own. Until such time, the full statement from former Town of Rupert Chief of Police Chuck Burkhamer regarding these developments can be found at the Town of Rupert Police Department Facebook page.