Retired Barstow Police Sergeant Andrew Espinoza remembered
Barstow Police Department announced that “colleague and friend,” Retired Barstow Police Sgt. Andrew Espinoza Sr. has died.
Espinoza joined the Barstow Police Department as a reserve officer in 1974 and remained with the department until retiring in 2012. He was considered a “skilled investigator,” working homicide and major crimes cases in the city for 12 years, the department said.
“On behalf of the Barstow Police Department, we send our condolences to Espinoza’s family,” a department head stated. “We thank the family for sharing Espinoza with our department. We will never forget the sacrifices he and his family made in his exceptional service to this community.”
A memorial service for Espinoza is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2571 Barstow Road in Barstow.
“Espinoza cared deeply for this community and was an amazing mentor to me and other young officers," Capt. Christopher Kirby said. “He has left a lasting impression on many of us and the department.”
Andrew Espinoza Sr. is the father of Barstow Police Chief Andrew Espinoza Jr.
Becoming Barstow's top investigator
In 1978, Espinoza was sworn in as a full-time officer.
He later became a detective with the department's detective bureau. It was while serving as a detective that he found his “true calling," according to police officials.
Espinoza’s ability to solve complex cases earned him a reputation with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and the surrounding law enforcement community, police officials stated.
He was also assigned to the department’s hostage negotiations team and was lead negotiator on multiple critical incident scenes.
Espinoza received multiple commendations including multiple chief’s commendations and officer of the year. He was honored by the district attorney’s office for his distinguished and dedicated service.
Espinoza also received the department’s Meritorious Service medal for his investigation into the murder of Randy Lutz, police said.
Lutz’s parents would later thank Espinoza for never giving up and bringing those responsible for their son’s murder to justice, according to police.
Infamous High Desert cases
In 2004, Espinoza was promoted to the rank of sergeant.
He served as a watch commander on patrol, leading a team of officers for a year. He was then assigned back to the detective bureau as detective sergeant. He led the detective team and evidence technicians until his retirement.
Espinoza and his team investigated the 2009 murder of Leisa Hurst that led to the arrest her boyfriend for the crime.
The investigation was featured on an episode of “Desperate Measures” on Investigation Discovery Channel. In the episode, Espinoza, Detective Keith Libby, and Deputy District Attorney Sean Daughtery detailed the investigation and subsequent conviction.
The investigation was also covered by CBS News 48 Hours Mystery: Body of Lies, which highlighted the extensive search for Hurst in the High Desert.
Over his career, Espinoza worked on over 55 homicide cases.
Espinoza embodied his mantra: “The assigned detective serves the victims, who cannot speak for themselves,” department officials said.
Police Corporal Rudy Perez
"It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our colleague and friend, retired Barstow Police Corporal Rudy Perez.," police officials announced on Friday, Nov. 17.
Cpl. Perez joined the Barstow Police as a police officer in 2008. During his career there, he was a "Crime Impact Detective, School Resource Officer and Field Training Officer," police said.
In 2021, Cpl. Perez was promoted to the rank of corporal where he held the positions of the administrative corporal and patrol corporal.
During his career, Cpl. Perez earned a “10851” award, which recognized his ability to locate and recover numerous stolen vehicles. He retired from the Barstow Police Department in 2023 after 15 years of dedicated service to the Barstow community.
"On behalf of the Barstow Police Department, we send our condolences to Corporal Perez’s family. We thank the family for sharing Corporal Perez with our department," police officials said. "We will never forget the sacrifices he and his family made in his exceptional service to this community."
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Retired Barstow Police Sergeant Andrew Espinoza remembered
