The Associated Press
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The death of a city police detective whose body was found in his Elbert County home has been ruled accidental.
Charles “Mike” Yeater, 51, bled to death Thursday after he smashed his arm through a window and cut an artery and vein on shards of glass, Elbert County Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Graeff said.
He was alone and intoxicated when the accident happened, Graeff said. Yeater’s wife called for help after finding his body when she came home.
Yeater was a 24-year veteran of the Colorado Springs police department and spent the past four years with the Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence unit.
Yeater received the Medal of Valor from the department in 1989 for his role in capturing an armed burglary suspect and a Distinguished Service Award in 1995 after grabbing a gun from a suspect who was threatening another officer.