Longtime western Kansas sheriff dies after battle with COVID-19

Gove County Sheriff Allan Weber has died months after starting a battle with COVID-19, the Gove County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday.

Weber was the sheriff in Gove County for the last two-plus decades. He was also the public information officer and emergency operations center community liaison in the county of roughly 2,636 people. Weber had been battling COVID-19 since at least Oct. 18 when he was flown to a hospital in Denver because of respiratory issues associated with COVID-19, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with travel, meals and lodging. It says he was intubated and put on a ventilator.

Gove County is in northwest Kansas, a couple-hour drive from the Colorado border.

The last update on the fundraiser was on Monday. It says the 63-year-old, who has previously been hospitalized because of asthma attacks, went into cardiac arrest the day before.

“After three rounds of epinephrine and shocking him they were able to get him back,” the post says.

The sheriff’s office posted about Weber’s passing on Facebook, saying his “smile and sense of humor was second to none” and his “tough exterior” melted as he mentioned the names of his grandchildren, who called him “Bacha.”

“He was also an extraordinary public servant both locally and at the state level, and honored his brotherhood ceaselessly,” the post says. “He loved his blue family as his true family, he held them all in the highest regard. He represented everything that is good about us here in Gove County. He embodied faith, family, friendship, and forgiveness, living these principles out loud every day.”

More than 200 people commented on the post, including other law enforcement officials.

“Sheriff Weber’s impact was far reaching, across the state,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, which is on the opposite side of the state, wrote on the post. “He will be sorely missed.”

From south-central Kansas, Randy Henderson, the former Reno County sheriff, wrote: “Prayers for all. A very good man.”

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment released data this week that shows deaths by county.

Gove County’s 18 deaths for a population of 2,636 gives a death rate of about 6.82 deaths per 1,000 residents, which is the highest rate in the state. Kansas averages about 0.80 deaths per 1,000 residents.

Kansas has 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, according to the KDHE.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 8:28 PM.