A 37-year-old man from Pierre has been identified as the person who is still missing after he is presumed to have drowned Friday afternoon on the Missouri River south of the Oahe Dam.
Lee Weber jumped into the river to save his eight-year-old son who had fallen from a moving boat. The child was saved by a nearby boat. Weber, who was not wearing a life jacket, was swept away by the river’s current. The incident happened at 2:51pm Friday, two miles northwest of Fort Pierre.
The Stanley County Sheriff’s Office said yesterday (Sun.) afternoon, the search will be scaled back in the number of agencies involved, but will continue. Over the weekend, an estimated 18 local, state and federal agencies—including rescue boats, divers, drones, cadaver dogs and the South Dakota Highway Patrol airplane– were involved in the search.
Weber, who was the Hughes County Chief Deputy Sheriff, has been with the office for about five years. Sheriff Darin Johnson said Weber was a person who cared about his family, his friends and his profession. He says this is sad for all who knew Weber, but no one is surprised he would risk his life to help someone else, especially a family member. Johnson said Weber protected others while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and he did at home as well. “We will remember him for his unselfishness and his bravery.”
More information will be provided when it becomes available.
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