(WWJ) Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon is hospitalized with COVID-19, according to his family.
After announcing on Thursday he had tested positive, he told his loved ones and followers on Facebook he was experiencing “very mild symptoms” at that time.
However, his daughter posted on Facebook around 11 p.m. Friday that his symptoms grew worse and he had to be hospitalized.
“He is alert but resting and committed to getting well soon,” his daughter wrote. “He is holding strong to his faith.”
His family thanked the community for their outpouring of support in a Facebook post Saturday morning: “I am overjoyed with the amount of prayers and warm wishes that we’ve received over night.”
They asked to refrain from contacting the Sheriff during this time so he can focus on his recovery.
No further details were released on Sheriff Napoleon’s condition.
COVID-19 has hit both the Napoleon family and the Sheriff’s Department hard.
The Sheriff’s brother, Highland Park Police Chief Hilton Napoleon, spent 71 days in the Intensive Care Unit, including three weeks on a ventilator after testing positive for the virus. FOX 2 reported he dropped 65 pounds, needed kidney dialysis and experienced muscle atrophy.
The Napoleon family has lost six of their own to COVID-19, according to WXYZ.
In May, Donafay Collins, commander of the division 2 jail, lost his battle with the virus at 63. Two deputies and 2 doctors who worked at the jail died after contracting COVID-19.
Detroit’s top cop, Police Chief James Craig, also fought the virus in March.
On Monday; Macomb County Sheriff, Anthony Wickersham, 58, announced he had tested positive as well. He told the Detroit Free Press his symptoms are minor, and he plans to return to work after his quarantine period ends.
Sheriff Napoleon served as Detroit Police Chief between 1998 and 2001, after more than two decades with the department. He became Assistant Wayne County Executive in 2004. He has served as Wayne County Sheriff since 2009.