LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday honored the heroes who once served and protected at its annual Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony.
This year, two more names were added to their memorial, Master Detention Deputies Lynn Jones and Richard Barry, both of whom died after contracting the coronavirus last year.
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“There was an outbreak in the county jail and he was an extradition officer that was reassigned into the jail due to the pandemic,” Bria Barry said.
Bria Barry said her husband was 58 when he lost his battle to COVID-19. The two were going to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary last summer.
Deputy Barry served for 25 years and was getting ready for retirement.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear people still say it’s not real. When you see your loved ones struggling for breath and they put them in the hospital without you,” Bria Barry said.
Deputy Jones’ family was also present during Tuesday’s ceremony. Jones served 13 years before passing away last June.
“Please don’t believe that this pandemic is over. It’s not. There are people dying every day. Just because it has not touched your family, don’t forget it has touched someone else,” Bria Barry said.
May is proclaimed as Law Enforcement Month.
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