(AP) — A Mississippi man who was the District 1 constable in Lowndes County for 52 years has died.

The Commercial Dispatch reports 81-year-old Willie Houston “Hoot” West was in an on-duty wreck last week and died Thursday. West’s son, Mike, says West started as a county sheriff’s deputy in 1962. West was then elected as the District 1 constable in 1967 and reelected 12 times. Mike West says that’s where his father “became a legend.”

Resident Karen Hall says “you always got the feeling Hoot was watching out for you.” She says he took four days canvassing the countryside when her home was sprayed with bullets last year, and then made the shooter apologize when he realized there was no malicious intent.

A new constable will be elected in November.