LYON COUNTY
SHERIFF
THOSE WE'VE LOST
LAW ENFORCEMENT
John R. King
Deputy
EOW: October 8, 2021
Deputy John King died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
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Deputy King was a United States Army Veteran and had only served with the Lyon County Sheriff's Office for three months. He had previously served with the Ceres Police Department, South Lake Police Department, Susanville Police Department in California and the Nevada Highway Patrol.
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He is survived by his wife, son, two daughters and two granddaughters.
JEROEN J. WYNANDS
CAPTAIN
July 4, 1956 - November 02, 2007
Service: July 25, 1984 - November 02, 2007
Jeroen Johannes Wynands was born in Amsterdam, Holland before moving to Bayside, California.
He attended Arcata High School before enrolling in the College of the Redwoods Law Enforcement Training Center.
Afterward he lived in Laramee, Wyoming where he was employed as a lumberjack before moving to Yerington, Nevada and taking a job with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
Jeroen continued his education by attending the FBI Academy in Virginia as well as Western Nevada Community College in Carson City where he received an AA Degree in Criminal Justice. He also assisted as an instructor in the Nevada Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Academy.
Jeroen began his career with the Lyon County Sheriff's Office in the Detention Division (jail). He rose through the ranks--earning the respect of his peers and subordinates along the way--and was eventually appointed to the position of captain in 2007.
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Sadly, later that same year, Jeroen succumbed to cancer and passed away at his home in Moundhouse, surrounded by family.
Jeroen lived a full life, enjoying such hobbies as restoring old Jeeps, skiing, fishing, hunting, and scuba diving.
Jeroen left behind his wife Kathy, daughters, Danyelle and Chandra, his parents Bep and Jan Wynands, and his brothers Michiel and Arjaan.
MICHAEL "MICK" SERENKO
DEPUTY
August 14, 1947 - February 26, 2004
Service: November 15, 1993 - February 26, 2004
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The very day after graduating high school Mick Serenko joined the Navy. The Navy gave him stability and focus in his life, helped him gain an education (majoring in Criminal Justice), and enabled him to see the world. Mick always said joining the Navy was the best move he ever made.
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When Mick retired from the Navy it was with the idea of becoming a law enforcement officer. He and his lovely wife, Sharon, checked out several places around the country (including Texas and Washington) until ultimately deciding on Nevada as the place to plant their roots.
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Mick went to work for the Lyon County Sheriff's Office where he worked in several capacities, including that of a narcotics officer.
He was serving as a patrol deputy in the Fernley area the night he suffered a major heart attack on the job. Mick was hospitalized and passed away a couple days later on February 26, 2004.
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Deputy Mick Serenko loved being a cop, and he is sorely missed.
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GEORGE T. RICE
DEPUTY
December 14, 1950 - June 01, 1984
Service: August 06, 1981 - June 01, 1984
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George Rice was born in Yerington, Nevada and grew up in Smith Valley, spending his youth working on the Hunewill family ranch.
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He had a love of carpentry, hunting, fishing, shooting, motorcycles, and most other outdoor activities.
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He graduated a year early from high school in 1968. While attending junior college in California, he was drafted into the Air Force where he found himself serving in Vietnam from 1969 until 1973.
Upon his return home, he graduated from the Nevada Highway Patrol in December of 1975.
He then went to work for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office until he transferred to the Lyon County Sheriff's Office in 1981. He remained with the LCSO until that fateful day in June of 1984 when he responded to a call of a man with a rifle shooting from a home in Smith Valley.
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Deputy Rice was attempting to provide a safe resolution to the volatile situation when he was shot and killed by the suspect.
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Deputy George Rice left behind a wife and four children who miss him dearly to this day.
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Deputy Rice's name is etched into the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC.
THOSE WE'VE LOST
COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION
RICHARD C. WAINSCOTT
COMMUNICATIONS SUPERVISOR
December 21, 1952 - November 13, 2017
Service: October 07, 2003 - November 13, 2017
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Richard Clay Wainscott was born in San Diego, California.
He attended Crawford High School where he was on the high school football team and was a member of the drama department.
After graduating high school in 1971, Richard joined the United States Air Force where he served from 1976 to 1980 as a firefighter before his honorable discharge at the rank of sergeant.
Richard earned his Associate's Degree in Fire Science Technologies from Antelope Valley College before being employed as a Fire Captain at Lockheed in Lancaster, California.
Richard became a public safety dispatcher in the early 1990s, beginning with the Kern County Sheriff's Office in California before moving to Carson City, Nevada where he worked as a public safety dispatcher for the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
In 2003 Lyon County had the honor of bringing Richard to the Sheriff's Office as a public safety dispatcher where he also became a member of the LCSO Crisis Negotiations Team.
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Although Richard devoted his life to public safety, on his off time he was a photographer who enjoyed capturing images from auto racing and air shows. He also acted and directed with various theater troupes and was a member of the Baptist Church in Dayton.
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Richard is survived by his sister Susan Wainscott, his daughters Lauren Wainscott, Amanda Martinez, and Melissa Wainscott, his step-daughter Ashley McGowan, his grandson, Rafael Cardenas, his granddaughter Alannah Martinez, and his grandnephew Isaiah Jackson.