Md. State's Attorney Dead In Apparent Suicide
WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) -- Jerry Barnes, who served as Carroll County's top prosecutor for 20 years and was about to leave office after losing in a Republican primary earlier this year, was found dead of an apparent suicide Saturday, authorities said.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office said in an emailed statement that officers were called to a home in Westminster at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning and that Barnes was found there with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnes was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Capt. Richard Hart of the sheriff's office confirmed Barnes' death and said he could not release any information beyond the statement.
Barnes, 66, had served as state's attorney for Carroll County since 1994. He lost in this year's Republican primary to Brian Deleonardo, a defense attorney and former prosecutor. Deleonardo was unopposed in the general election, although Barnes had mulled a write-in campaign.
A lifelong resident of Carroll County, Barnes was an Army Green Beret who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam. He earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore and served as a criminal prosecutor for 38 years.
Hart declined to provide details about the home where Barnes was found or the circumstances of the discovery. Barnes owned property in Westminster but lived in Hampstead, according to property records.
Barnes was a specialist in drug enforcement, according to his official biography, and was sworn in as an assistant U.S. Attorney to prosecute drug cases. He ran as a no-nonsense, tough-on-crime conservative who supported the death penalty and zero tolerance for domestic violence, child abuse and sexual violence.
(Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)