North Texas police department loses 2 officers to COVID-19 within days of each other

A Denton County police department is mourning the loss of two police officers who died from COVID-19 within about a week of each other.

DOUBLE OAKS, Texas - A Denton County police department is mourning the loss of two police officers who died from COVID-19 within about a week of each other.

Officers Lonnie Sneed and John Mestas served for the Double Oak Police Department, just north of Flower Mound.

Officer Sneed was 50 years old and served two different police departments before joining DOPD in 2016.

Officer Mestas was 45 years old and was a veteran of the Army and the Air Force.

Mestas served the North Texas area for 15 years in different agencies, and joined the Double Oak Police Department in November 2021.

"[John was] still our brother and it hurt us, and then with the passing of officer Sneed, well, that was, well, you get the double whammy, right, and you can’t believe that he’s gone," Double Oak Police Department Chief Ruben Rivas said.

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