Blanco County Sheriff Bill Elsbury Dies - Community News - Blanco County News

By Charles Willgren

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 • Posted February 20, 2012 • Updated February 23, 2012 10:43 AM

The late Blanco County Sheriff Bill Elsbury (center).

Photo by Glynn Miller.

Known as a big man who was well-respected and very soft-spoken, Blanco County Sheriff Bill Elsbury, 60, passed away at his home in Johnson City on Monday morning, February 20, after a fall. He was transported to Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg where he was pronounced dead, according to published reports.

Chief Deputy Robert Morgan, who is now serving as the acting sheriff, has said Elsbury died suddenly of natural causes. A cause of death hasn't been released, but Morgan told AP that the Sheriff was stricken after working in a field.

Elsbury had been the Sheriff of Blanco County since January 1, 1996. Before his long tenure as Sheriff, he worked for 24 years with the Houston Police Department. Elsbury had filed for re-election as a Republican; he was running unopposed.

He is survived by wife, Debby, who is the Blanco County District Clerk, son William Jr., and daughter Lee. Services for Sheriff Elsbury will be held on Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 2 pm at the Liberty Lighthouse Church, located at 321 Old River Crossing Road in Johnson City. A reception will follow at the First United Methodist Church at 105 LBJ Drive, also in Johnson City.

"It's just devastating to Blanco County," said Blanco Chief of Police Milton Willmann. "It's a small populated county; we work together with everybody. We're surely going to miss him. He was a good sheriff; he took care of his folks and his community. We're going to really miss him."

Willmann added that Elsbury was very well respected and his cooperation with the county agencies was without question. "His agency, he and his folks, always assisted us no matter what. Sometimes we didn't have to ask; they were down here to help." Willmann said that his agency would be doing what they could to help while the Sheriff's Office deals with the loss.

"The law enforcement world lost one of its greatest police officers today," Johnson City Chief of Police Randy Holland said in an online post.

“He was just an all-around good guy,” Holland said. “He would help anyone in need, and he was one of the best police officers I've ever known.”

"I certainly was shocked and disappointed to hear about his death this morning," said Blanco County Republican Chairman Ann Hall. "He had filed for re-election and did not have a Republican nor a Democrat opponent."

Hall recalled several years ago when she asked Elsbury to speak at a Republican Meeting. "He graciously agreed to speak. That was the largest number of people that had ever attended a Republican meeting since I became the Blanco County Republican County Chairman. Fifty or more people showed up to hear him, and he did not disappoint.

"He had a demonstration and modeled on a target how a stun gun operates and showed a training film about terrorism. His message was that he, and his officers, were prepared," Hall continued. "He was so soft-spoken in person, but when he agreed to give two invocations at meetings, they were strong and heartfelt. I have no doubt that he is with God. But, he sure will be missed in Blanco County."

"It's a tragedy to lose a good man," Willmann concluded. "In law enforcement, they're very few and far between."

STEUBING FOR SHERIFF

- For those citizens in Blanco County who I haven’t met or
are unaware of my campaign, I am Ronnie Steubing, and I am
/ ' running for the Office of Sheriff of Blanco County.

My wife, Pam, and I have been married for 39 years, with
three of our four children, and my mother Helen, residing on
our ranch in Blanco County.

I am a 5th generation rancher, but have always held a place

in my heart for Law Enforcement. I served eleven years as a
Deputy Sheriff in Comal County, where I served in the patrol
l division handling all aspects Criminal Law Enforcement, in-

cluding investigations. Over the past eight years, I have been
the elected Constable of Blanco County, focusing on Civil
Law Enforcement while continuing to engage in Criminal Law Enforcement. I retired from
ranching in 2008 and my sole focus has been law enforcement in Blanco County. I am
faithfully tied to this County and strive to improve our Sheriff ’s Ofﬁce for all our citizens. I
have several intentions to accomplish this, including:

24 Hour Patrol Coverage — In modem day law enforcement, having a reasonable response
to crimes or citizen complaints is essential in the prevention or reduction of crime. The
criminal element has advanced to counteract law enforcement efforts in a number of ways,
including obtaining and using knowledge of where or when a law enforcement ofﬁcer is on
duty. Currently, our county is served in an “on call” capacity during the late night and early
evening hours with an extended response time if a deputy is called from home and a reliance
on City Police Departments to serve County citizens. During this time period each day, no
County level Law Enforcement is on patrol. I plan to immediately enact 24 hour patrol
coverage by Deputies to ensure a rapid and decisive response to any threat to, or concem of,
the citizens we serve. Visibility has proven time and again to be a deterrent to the criminal
element, and round the clock coverage will enhance this.

Proactive Patrol Service — In keeping with enhanced visibility, another deterrent to the
criminal element is the fear of being contacted by a Deputy while in the commission of,
ﬂight from, or preparation for committing a criminal act. Our Deputies will, and should be
expected, to patrol all areas of the county, making contact with suspicious persons and
vehicles, simple acts that often lead to the discovery or deterrence of crime. Our Deputies
will also make a point to talk to our citizens, getting to know them and their communities
and learning who and what might not belong in a given area. Our Deputies will also be
proactive in enforcement of traffic laws to enhance the safety of our citizens and the general
motoring public, including focused enforcement of Driving While Intoxicated offenses.

Improved Response to Citizens — In keeping with Visibility and Proactive Patrol, I plan to
assign our Deputies to specific geographical areas of our county. This will enhance the
ability of our Deputies to serve our community by allowing them to focus on specific areas
they patrol, keeping a Deputy closer to complainants, and allowing our citizens more oppor-
tunity to interact with a Deputy who has detailed knowledge of their area. Our Deputies will
still answer calls anywhere in the County, but will have a more community based focus.

Investigation of Criminal Offenses — As your Sheriff, I plan to repurpose our Criminal
Investigation Division into a true “full service” unit. Our Investigations Division, in addi-
tion to working on cases submitted by citizens and Deputies, will also focus on the Narcot-
ics abuse and trafﬁcking problem in our County. I also plan to reach out to our youth with
programs focusing on staying away from drug abuse, ensuring we will be here to help them,
and encouraging them to look upon our Deputies not just as authority figures, but as people
they can come to and rely on.

Working in concert with other agencies — As your Sheriff, I will strive to re—establish and
foster positive working relationships with other law enforcement agencies on a local, state,
and federal level, as well as with our prosecution and court systems. I plan to pursue various
avenues to obtain Information Management Systems which will be user friendly and acces-
sible to all agencies we work with. Information being available to all who serve our citizens
only enhances our ability to suppress criminal activity.

Your vote counts, and your voices have been heard. I humbly ask for your support on
Tuesday, May 29, in my effort to become your Blanco County Sheriff

Political ad paid for by Ronnie Steubing Campaign, 310 Steubing Ranch Road, Blanco, TX 78606.
Dennis Moore, Treasurer.

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