BUCKHANNON, W.Va. A law enforcement officer with decades of experience and a recent Purple Heart recipient has been sworn in to complete the term of the longest-serving sheriff in the state.
Former Upshur County chief deputy Mike Coffman will succeed Virgil Miller as sheriff. Miller died recently at the age of 69 after an illness.
In June of 2022, Coffman responded to an active shooter incident on I-79 and was shot while directing traffic away from danger. The bullet missed the bone but caused severe tissue damage.
Coffman has been a deputy since 1997 and calls former Sheriff Miller “an important mentor” to him.