Tulare County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 27 years
Badge Number: 189
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: February 10, 2016
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy Sheriff Scott Ballantyne and Mr. James Chavez, a civilian pilot, were killed in an airplane crash near Lake Success at approximately 4:15 pm.
The aircraft was assisting deputies on the ground search for a subject wanted for brandishing a firearm. It was preparing to leave the area after the suspect was arrested when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed into a mountain in the area of Route 190 in Springville.
Deputy Ballantyne and Mr. Chavez were the only two occupants of the CTLE ultralight.
Deputy Ballantyne had served with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office for 27 years. He is survived by his mother and sister.