A South Dakota sheriff’s deputy lost his life after jumping into a fast-moving river to save his 8-year-old son’s life. The officer was swept away by strong currents, while the boy survived, and was rescued from the water by another group of boaters.
The incident occurred on July 3, when Chief Deputy Lee Weber of Hughes County Sheriff’s Office was boating with his son on the Missouri River 2 miles northwest of Fort Pierre.
A six-day search commenced for the missing deputy, involving a team of 18 local, state, and federal agencies using rescue boats, divers, drones, cadaver dogs, and a Highway Patrol airplane. Weber’s body was eventually recovered and identified by a volunteer searcher near a railroad bridge, 4 miles from the spot where he had jumped into the water.
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The Sheriff’s Office extended their condolences to Weber’s family on social media.
The officer’s colleagues hailed him as a mentor and a hero. He had been a member of the Sheriff’s Office since 2015 and was promoted to Chief Deputy after four years’ service. Weber was also a decorated veteran of the South Dakota National Guard and served both in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“He will be greatly missed by his law enforcement family and those whom he was sworn to serve,” the department added. “Rest easy 36-1W, we'll hold the line from here.”
Weber is survived by his wife, Wendy, and six children: LaToya, Magnus, Amadeo, Lexinn, Emalee, and Samuel.