NASHVILLE, Mich. — The city of Nashville, Michigan’s police chief has died in a single-vehicle crash, Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Craig Schmaltz said Thursday.
Schmaltz confirmed that Chris Allen Koster, 59, of Plainwell, died in an crash that occurred 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Richland Township.
A police investigation found that Koster’s vehicle, heading northbound on North 32nd Street, went off the roadway and struck a tree just north of E B Avenue, according to a news release.
No other passengers were in Koster’s vehicle at the time of the crash and police said alcohol is not believed to be a factor.
Nashville is a village of about 1,600 people in Barry County. It’s located about 15 miles west of Charlotte.
Nashville Village President Mike Kenyon said Koster was police chief for about five years and took pride in building relationships with others.
Kenyon said the crash appeared to happen while Koster was driving to work.
“He was very big into community policing,” Kenyon said of Koster. “He was a professional through and through.”
Nashville’s village offices closed Thursday once officials were notified of Koster’s death and are expected to reopen Friday, Kenyon said.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office at 269-383-8748 or the county’s Silent Observer Program at 269-343-2100.
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