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He posted a defiant message to Facebook saying he refused to enforce the state’s orders because they meant “economic slaughter” and he believed government had no right to tell him or anyone else it was too risky to get a haircut or dental checkup.

“I truly believe that Governor Newsom’s motivation is to have the majority of the citizens (and illegal residents) dependant [sic] on governments assistance so he could maintain this control once this ‘pandemic’ is declared over,” Warnke wrote.

Two months later, with cases spiking and Merced County now on the state’s coronavirus watch list, the sheriff has changed his tune: “Wear your masks, do your social distancing, wash your hands. … Please take it seriously.”

Cases have more than quadrupled over the last month in Merced County, which reported 1,530 COVID-19 cases on Monday. On June 6, the county had reported just 343 cases.

COVID-19 has killed 11 people in Merced County since the pandemic began.

Merced County, in the Central Valley, is one of 23 counties being monitored by the state for rising case counts and increased hospitalizations. Local public health officials say they worry that hospitals soon will be overwhelmed.

“The cases are rising coincident with….