Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd found dead at county courthouse, sheriff says

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd was found dead inside the county courthouse on Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Erik Holland confirmed to The Star. Holland said his office launched a death investigation from the courthouse and that Zahnd’s cause of death has not yet been determined. Zahnd, the longest-serving prosecutor in county history, was first elected in 2002. He announced his intention to retire at the end of the year when he withdrew from the primary minutes before the filing deadline in April. “Serving the people as their prosecutor has been my great privilege and solemn responsibility for more than two decades,” Zahnd said in a statement at the time. “This job has brought great joy to my life and also considerable pain along the way.” News of Zahnd’s death immediately sparked a wave of tributes from top area officials. Prior to his decision to drop out, Zahnd had been at the center of a dispute among local Republicans centered around the county commission’s decision to increase county employee pay by 2.5% instead of 5%.

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