The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office honored fallen Sgt. Robert Baron by unveiling a Memorial Corridor along the interstate last week. 

On Dec. 5, 2013, Baron responded to reports of multiple, minor motor vehicle crashes and disabled vehicles under blizzard conditions on I-25. He was fatally injured when he was  struck by a motorist while assisting motorists and investigating the crashes. He had served in law enforcement for a total of 25 years.

Robert Baron

The Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico Department of Transportation unveiled the Memorial Corridor along I-25 Sept. 13. The corridor is memorialized with a sign that was unveiled by Baron’s family.

“The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Jesse James Casaus would like to thank everyone who helped with this project in making it happen,” the SCSO said in a release. “It is a great honor to us to see this sign displayed on the highway.”

Baron was born on Sept. 10, 1966. He graduated from California State, Northridge, with a B.A. in political science and public administration. Early in his career, Baron worked as a juvenile probation officer in Los Angeles County. Prior to moving to New Mexico, Baron worked as a wildland firefighter and as a federal park service ranger. As a federal park ranger, Baron received the “Exemplary Act Award” for his quick actions in saving the life of a park visitor who suffered a major heart attack. Robert joined the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office in 2006 and worked as a deputy, detective and sergeant. Baron dedicated time as a Boy Scout leader mentoring Scouts and in law enforcement organizations such as Law Enforcement United, an organization committed to “Honor the Fallen, and Remember the Survivors.” He participated in the 2010 250-plus mile Memorial Bicycle Ride ending in Washington, D.C., Memorial, in memory of Sgt. Joe Harris in 2010.