ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The people who worked with Sgt. Michael Kunovich remember him fondly.
"He worked for me for many years before I retired," Art May said. May has retired from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. He can't help but smile when thinking about Kunovich.
"He was kind of a joking kind of a guy. Had a smiley grin on his face," May remembered.
Kunovich, 52, worked for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office for 25 years.
"I had worked with him for several years while we were both deputies," retired deputy Bo Strange told First Coast News. "He was just a really hard-working deputy. Very conscientious, by the book. He loved his family."
Former colleagues of Kunovich were saddened to hear the news that he died Friday while on duty.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s office says Kunovich went over to a man who was sitting in the dark outside a closed business Friday night on State Road 16, near the interstate. According to the sheriff's office, the man fought Kunovich, tried to take his taser, and was eventually arrested. Kunovich then went into medical distress and died.
"It was very surprising when I heard it," May said. "Mike was in good shape. He wasn't a slouch at all. He always kept himself up. When I heard that, I was like, 'Wow -- a heart attack or something like that.'"
Deputies honored him Monday by escorting his body to the funeral home.
"I remember him in his very early days of law enforcement," Putnam County Chief Deputy Joseph Wells said, "He as a very eager young man with a passion to serve his community."
May also remembers Kunovich was a "good runner". May shared a story about Kunovich running after a man who was wanted.
"The only thing I saw was Kunovich running across the field, down the railroad tracks and tackling this guy as he was running! And I thought, 'That was Flash!' He was unbelievably fast."
Impressions from colleagues who worked with and will miss Sgt. Mike Kunovich.