Sergeant Gerald Barnes

Gerald Barnes

Sergeant Gerald Barnes and two other deputies were in the agency's Piper Tri-Pacer plane when it crashed into the Arizona Canal on the Salt River Reservation, seven miles northeast of Scottsdale.

The deputies were conducting an aeriel search for a stolen vehicle when it struck a power line across the canal. The plane landed upside down in four-feet of water in the canal. Nearby farmers who witnessed the crash were able to rescue teh other deputies but were unable to remove Sergeant Barnes, who was trapped in the rear seat of the plane.

Sergeant Barnes was a WWII veteran and had served with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for six years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, son, and mother.