Pictured to the right are Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mike Koontz, EQT’s Brittany Carns, and Wetzel County Sheriff John Brookover. EQT’s donation to the department enabled the sheriff’s department deputies to purchase weapon-mounted lights.

The Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department recently received a monetary donation from EQT that allowed the department to purchase new weapon-mounted lights.

The department’s chief deputy, Mike Koontz, stated that previously the officers of the department had lights, but these lights were located in a separate pouch and had to be removed from the weapon prior to reholstering the weapon, posing a time-consuming safety hazard.

EQT’s Linda Robertson issued the following statement regarding the corporation’s donation to the department: “EQT Corporation is committed to supporting the communities where we live and work in ways that encourage positive outcomes for those communities.”

She added, “Our own philosophy is one of ‘safety first’ and providing a safe working environment, so helping the sheriff’s department purchase equipment that increases efficiency and helps protect officers and the public is a natural extension for us. By supporting initiatives such as this one, we strive to encourage the development of safe and healthy communities and bordering regions where we operate.”