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Longest-serving former Utah County Sheriff dies from COVID-19 complications

David Bateman retired in 2003 after serving as Sheriff for 18 years.

(Photo courtesy Utah County Sheriff's office) David R. Bateman died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, of complications related to COVID-19. He was 80 years old.

  | Jan. 23, 2021, 3:48 a.m.

Former Utah County Sheriff David Bateman died Wednesday from complications related to COVID-19, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s office.

Bateman, who was 80, retired in 2003 after 18 years as Sheriff. He served longer than any other Sheriff in Utah County.

He directed construction of the Security Center in Spanish Fork, and the number of people incarcerated grew from 30 in one of the old jails to more than 600 in the new jail during his tenure, according to the news release. He also oversaw the creation of a Crime Prevention Merit Badge through the Boy Scouts of America.

“Sheriff Bateman was a self-effacing man who preferred that others get attention and credit for improvements brought about during his administration,” reads the news release.