NEWPORT BEACH (KTLA) –  Family members grieved on Wednesday night after Former Assistant Orange County Sheriff Don Haidl passed away.

Haidl died Monday night from natural causes at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.

A controversial figure in Orange County, Haidl’s law enforcement career came to an end in 2005 when he resigned from his post to defend his son, Greg Haidl, in a now infamous trial involving the rape of an unconscious 17-year-old girl.

In 2007, Haidl pleaded guilty to tax crimes and then cooperated with federal investigators in their criminal case against former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona.  A star witness during Carona’s federal trial, Haidl withdrew from the public eye afterward.

In a written statement released Tuesday, the Haidl family said, “Our brother passed away unexpectedly last night. He died as he lived, surrounded by the people he loved. He will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to know him.”