UPDATED: This story was updated with more details about the crash and Datan's career.

A 43-year-old Coos County Sheriff's Office deputy died Monday in an on-duty ATV accident in rural Oregon, according to the county district attorney.

Gil Datan died Monday afternoon in rugged terrain on timber lands after county officials believe he rolled his ATV as he attempted to navigate a steep embankment.

The accident occurred between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Datan texted his girlfriend sometime during that period, and was expected to end his shift at 4 p.m.

He never checked in.

According to Coos County officials, once Datan didn't contact his dispatch crew at the end of the shift, emergency officials launched a search effort by 6 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard joined the search.

Search teams found Datan's body at 9:45 p.m. He was crushed under the ATV, according to a statement from the county.

Datan was about three to five miles from his pickup truck and in rural territory between Green Acres Road and South Sumner Road.

Paul Frasier, the Coos County district attorney, said Datan's death is the first of an on-duty law enforcement officer in the Southwest Oregon county since 1999.

"The investigation into this tragic event is ongoing," Frasier said.

Oregon State Police are leading the investigation.

Datan was an experienced law enforcement officer who worked for various public agencies along the coast and in rural Oregon counties dating back nearly 20 years.

He started his career in 1996 working for the Myrtle Point Police Department. One year later, he moved to the North Bend Police Department. He transitioned to working for the Confederated Tribal Police Department in 2005. He worked briefly for the Reedsport Police Department before joining the Coos County Sheriff's Office in 2009.

Datan worked for two years as a narcotics detective and was two months into his time as a timber deputy.

Remembrances poured in Tuesday on the Facebook page for the North Bend Police Department.

Datan was an assistant softball coach at North Bend High School, according to the sports editor or the Coos Bay newspaper The World. The high school postponed a Tuesday game with rival Marshfield High School due to Datan's death.

He is survived by a teenage daughter from a previous marriage.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@cityhallwatch