Funeral for River Bend police chief to be held today

The funeral for River Bend Police Chief Ryland Matthews will be held Wednesday afternoon after he died earlier this month.

According to the River Bend Police Department Facebook page, a visitation is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on April 26 at Temple Baptist Church in New Bern.

A church service will follow at 3:00 p.m. and then a burial service will be held at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Newport.

A picture of Matthews car covered in flowers and flags was also posted to that page. The caption said, "Thank you to everyone that has visited the memorial for Chief thus far. We are all dealing with this tremendous loss, but we are dealing with it together."

Officials with the New Bern Police Department have confirmed that River Bend Police Chief Ryland Matthews has passed away over the weekend.

The 57-year-old Matthews was a former United States Marine and also had worked for the New Bern Police Department.

Officials say Matthews was taken to the hospital on Sunday for a medical issue but later died.

No other details surrounding his death has been released at this time.

Mayor John Kirkland says a sergeant in the department will take over until a permanent chief can be named.

Officers with the New Bern Police say Matthews "was a dedicated officer and the epitome of a community oriented officer. We are all deeply saddened by his passing."

We will continue to keep you updated on the latest details.