Sheriff's captain dies from H1N1

PREBLE COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) - The Preble County community was mourning the loss of a dedicated law enforcement officer.

This time H1N1 is being blamed in the death of a sheriff's captain from Preble County.  Captain Thornsberry fell ill on October 20, and lost a 13-day fight with the virus on Friday night.

Health officials said Thornsberry was initially diagnosed with double pneumonia--that's viral and bacterial, as well as the H1N1 virus.

Flags were lowered to half staff outside the Preble County Sheriff's Office on Saturday. Captain Thornsberry was a 15-year veteran of the office and had climbed his way up through the ranks.

"He was a great officer. He's gonna be missed, by not only his family here at the office, but his family as well as the public," said Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson.

Thornsberry, a 6-foot-8-inch strapping man, was said to be healthy with no history of health problems.

Officials said, flu tests taken at the hospital came back negative, but health officials said most tests that come back negative turned out to be the H1N1 virus. That's why instead of testing, doctors were treating every case like the swine flu.

"You just don't know who it's gonna strike and where it's gonna strike. It's one of those things, you know, you just don't take anything for granted," said Sheriff Simpson.

Thornsberry was rushed into intensive care on Thursday, where he was hooked up to a respirator and placed into a drug induced coma.

"You'll never get over a loss like this. You learn to deal with a loss but you never get over the loss of a co-worker," said Simpson.

The Ohio Department of Health is now reporting 22 H1N1 deaths to-date.