ELMIRA — Larry K. Preston, a former Chemung County deputy sheriff and Waverly police chief, died April 12 after a brief illness, according to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office.
He was 78.
Preston served as a deputy sheriff from April 5, 1970, to Nov. 3, 1985, and held the rank of corporal for the last six years of his career with the agency.
He was one of the founding members of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and its first unit commander.
Preston left his position in 1985 to become the chief of police for the Waverly Police Department.
Before joining the Sheriff’s Office in 1970, he was employed by the Corning Police Department.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Preston maintained a close working relationship with the members of the Sheriff’s Office during his tenure as police chief.
The men and women of the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office expressed their deepest condolences to Preston’s family.