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*************** language="" type="text/"> var isoPubDate = 'December 31, 2007' December 31, 2007

Monroe — 2:32 p.m. -- A State police sergeant who gained a reputation for earning the trust of the Village of Kiryas Joel community died yesterday morning at his home from medical-related conditions, police said.
Major Ed Raso of State police Troop F headquarters said he would not have details about the cause of Sgt. Warner Hein's death until the autopsy. The 20-year veteran of the State police, was found in his bed at 7:45 a.m. from a ''medical-related'' cause, Raso said.
Hein,44, started his career with the State police's Kingston-Highland barracks before being promoted to sergeant and then zone sergeant in 2004 at the barracks in Monroe. He quickly gained the trust of his superiors as a go-between with the community leaders of Kiryas Joel, the ultra-orthodox Hasidic community in Monroe.
''He was our go-to guy when we had anything to do with KJ,'' Raso said. ''It's not going to be easy to replace him. He defined the role.''
Kiryas Joel's Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin described a ''down-to-earth'' law enforcement officer, who despite his rank and many years of experience on the force, frequently went out into Kiryas Joel to develop relationships with its residents. An astute observer of the cultural and linguistic differences of the Satmar Hasidim, he earned the trust of the residents, as well as displayed a concern for Kiryas Joel's vulnerability in a region sometimes hostile to the village.
''He became a household name in the KJ community, and wer'e very grateful for that,'' Szegedin said.
Hein was an avid photographer and golfer, organizing an annual fundraiser golf tournament in memory of troopers who died in the line of action. He was a also a former high school football player in the Town of New Paltz, where he grew up and eventually settled.
A wife and a 4-year-old son survive him.

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