FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A sheriff’s deputy who was beaten on a Florida interstate more than a year ago has died.
The News-Press reports that Cape Coral police found 48-year-old Lee County Deputy Dean Bardes dead in his home Tuesday.
Police say no foul play is suspected in Bardes’ death. A cause of death hasn’t been released.
Authorities said that in November 2016, Bardes was confronted and slammed to the ground by 53-year-old Edward Strother after a pursuit. A man who police have described as a good Samaritan, Ashad Russell, shot and killed Strother. Russell was not charged in the shooting.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Schall said that Bardes had served for 14 years “with honor and dignity.”