Albert C. Gaston

Sheriff Gaston succumbed to a gunshot wound received four years earlier while investigating a possible burglary in a rural part of Woodward County. Sheriff Gaston was responding to the scene at 2 pm when he observed the suspect's vehicle parked on the shoulder of State Highway 34 south of U.S. Highway 270. As Sheriff Gaston approached the car, the passenger exited and opened fire with a .38 caliber revolver, striking Sheriff Gaston in the chest. The sheriff was able to return fire and wound the suspect. The 23-year-old suspect was taken into custody, convicted of assault with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, and sentenced to 144 years in prison. He was released on October 4, 2013. Sheriff Gaston had served with the Woodward County Sheriff's Office for 17 years.