MOUNT VERNON – Former Knox County Sheriff David Barber was found dead in his home on Kinney Road Sunday.
Barber retired after 20 years as sheriff in 2012. He served a total of 40 years in law enforcement begining at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center and then as police chief in Centerburg. He was the longest serving sheriff in Knox County history.
Barber, and five fellow KCSO personnel, received the 2011 Ohio Distinguished Law Enforcement Group Achievement Award from the Ohio Attorney General. The award was given following a triple murder/kidnapping case that stunned Knox County. It was the outstanding police work done by the KCSO and other local law enforcement agencies that led to the killer’s apprehension and arrest.
At his retirement gathering in January of 2013 Barber told KnoxPages.com that he was, “..blessed to have [had] excellent men and women working for me.”
And speaking of his 20 years as sheriff, Barber said, “One thing I did was bring the Knox County Sheriffs Office into the 21st century.” Barber oversaw the implementation of internet access to all cruisers, social networking for the department and a higher level of training and weaponry.
Photo of Sheriff Barber displayed at the KCSO
