Incident
Chief Deputy Lee Weber drowned in the Missouri River two miles north of Fort Pierre while attempting to rescue his 8-year-old son who had fallen out of a moving boat.
Multiple agencies are involved in search and recovery efforts for his body.
Chief Deputy Weber dove into the water without a life jacket in an attempt to reach his son but was swept away by the current. His son was rescued by other nearby boaters. Chief Deputy Weber's body was recovered on July 9th, 2020.
Chief Deputy Weber was a veteran of the South Dakota National Guard and had served with the Hughes County Sheriff's Office for five years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and six children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SD-C411A0FF- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Chief Deputy Weber gave the Hughes County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Pierre community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Lee Russell Weber served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Chief Deputy Lee Russell Weber is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In SD, 19 of 62 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.6% of this state's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lee Russell Weber's cause is highlighted.
How Lee Russell Weber Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lee Russell Weber is highlighted in Jul.