STAR CITY, W.Va. — STAR CITY, W.Va. — Former Star City Police Chief Victor (Vic) Propst has passed away at the age of 73.
Propst served in the position from 2006 until 2017, after he took over for Bucky Forbes when he resigned to take a job in Alabama. Propst was considered a highly influential figure amongst his fellow officers, which included one former and current Star City Police Chief. He presided over the hiring of both former Chief Thomas Varndell who took over the position after Propst retired, and current Chief Jessica Colebank, who was originally hired by him at the beginning of her law enforcement career.
“He hired me at Star City back in 2011, we worked very closely on day shift together, he was very much a mentor for me,” said Colebank.
In his time as Star City Police Chief, Propst was a part of the investigation into the murder of teenager Skylar Neese back in 2012. He also helped train two of the town’s most recent police chiefs and maintained communication with them during their time in the role. Colebank remembers him as an honest and fair police officer who not only defended his fellow officers but also was willing to find ways to improve at the job.
“He always stood up for his people whenever anyone would try to complain or anything like that, if you did wrong, he would call you out on it and try to fix it,” said Colebank.
Members of the Star City Police Department also remembered Propst for being an active member of the community. In his time as Star City Police Chief, Propst supported the annual Shop with a Cop event during the holidays and encouraged family-related gatherings related to the police department. Propst, who worked up from being a part-time officer to becoming Star City Police Chief, is remembered as someone who very personable to anyone he came in contact with.
“He had many, many years in law enforcement with a lot of good people who definitely learned a lot from him over the years,” said Colebank.
Memorial services for Probst will be hosted at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center on Tuesday, December 19 with a viewing scheduled for 2 p.m. and a service at 4 p.m. As Star City residents prepare to say farewell to a prominent member of their community, the Star City Police Department will reflect on the positive influence he had on the town and his fellow officers.
“He took the time to ask about your family and (he) had a lot of family events in the department that everybody could bring their family to,” said Colebank. “It was very family-oriented whenever we worked together,” she said.