Northumberland County Sheriff's Office, Virginia
End of Watch: Sunday, June 19, 2005
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Unit 11
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: June 19, 2005
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy John Sanford was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a disturbance call.
Deputy Sanford, along with a second deputy in another vehicle, were responding to a disturbance call shortly after midnight. As they were traveling west on Route 360, the lead deputy encountered a car driving on the wrong side of the highway in a blind curve. The deputy radioed Deputy Sanford to warn him, but Deputy Sanford was unable to avoid the collision, and was struck head-on. Both vehicles burst into flames as a result of the collision. The other deputy was able to free Deputy Sanford from the wreckage, but he died at the scene from his injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was also killed.
Deputy Sanford had served as a part-time deputy for the Northumberland County Sheriff's Office for 11 years. He was also the assistant chief and a former chief of the Fairfields Volunteer Fire Department. He was survived by his wife.