By Payne Ray
Daily Commercial
TAVARES, Fla. — A Lake County detention deputy died Thursday morning following a month-long battle with COVID-19, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Master Detention Deputy Richard Barry, a 24-year veteran of the agency, was pronounced dead at AdventHealth Waterman Hospital early Thursday morning.
The 58-year-old had primarily been isolating at home since he tested positive for COVID-19 on June 16, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement sent to press.
His 25th anniversary with the Sheriff’s Office would have been in August.
The Lake County Detention Center, where Barry worked, is currently dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19 in the facility, which has affected both staff and inmates.
On Monday, the Jail reported that 138 inmates had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and that 30 staff members had also tested positive.
Barry was counted among them.
“Barry, 58, was highly respected at the Sheriff’s Office by all who knew him,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. John Herrell wrote in the email. “He was described as a hard-working employee with a great sense of humor who was just always fun to be around.”
“The Sheriff’s Office is grateful for his service and is praying for peace and comfort for Barry’s wife, Bria, who is also a detention deputy, their son, Brennan, and all who knew and loved him,” Herrell concluded.
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