Miller

BUCKHANNON — The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department announced on Tuesday morning that Sheriff Virgil Miller had passed away.

The announcement was made through a social media post by the department which stated: “The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department and other County offices are saddened to announce the sudden passing of Sheriff Virgil D. Miller. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement.”

Miller, who was in law enforcement for more than 40 years, was most recently elected sheriff of Upshur County in 2020. It was Miller’s third stint as Sheriff of Upshur County, as he was serving his fifth term in the office.

He was also chief deputy of the department for eight years and served as Upshur County magistrate. At one point he also was appointed as Chief of Police for the Buckhannon Police Department.

Randolph County Sheriff Rob Ebon, who was a close friend of Miller, said he was devastated by the news.

“He and I were good buddies,” Elbon said of Miller. “He was the nicest guy that you would ever want to meet and he was a mentor to me. We bounced ideas off one another all the time and any time I ever had something I needed to know about, I would call him.”

Elbon said he and Miller had recently just shared a cup of coffee when Miller stopped by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office to say hello.

“He was a great, great guy and I’m really going to miss him a lot,” said Elbon. “He was just a wonderful person and a very hard worker. He was 100 percent one of the good guys. He was my brother not only in law enforcement, but just as a human being.”

Elbon added Miller was also a tremendous police officer and someone he had looked up to for many years.

“He worked hard and did a tremendous job at everything he ever did,” said Elbon. “Whether it was being the sheriff or being magistrate, he put everything he had into it. And he didn’t slow down as he got a little older; he was 69 but acted like he was 35.”

The Upshur County Commission had an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the “potential appointment of a successor to the office of sheriff per West Virginia Code.”

The Upshur County Sheriff’s Department’s social media post states, “Viewing and funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Daily operations of the Sheriff’s Department and Tax Office will continue and the Office of the Upshur County Commission will release additional details in the coming days.”