Franklin J. Minnie

RENO GAZETTE JOURNAL

May 31, 1997

MOTORCYCLE COP CRITICAL AFTER FALL

I-80 Incident: Police unsure if something struck Washoe deputy before wreck.

Investigators are trying to piece together what caused Washoe County sheriff’s Deputy Franklin Minnie to fall from is motorcycle on Interstate 80 and end up in Washoe Medical Center with critical head injuries Friday afternoon.

Sheriff Richard Kirkland said there was no evidence of contact with a truck Minnie and another deputy were following from a scene of a trespassing call in the Belli Ranch area.

Janay Winkler of the Nevada Highway Patrol, which is investigating the accident, said it was unknown if something hit Minnie or if he had a medical problem on I-80 east near the Boomtown exit.

About 3 p.m., a Belli Ranch resident was arguing with a man seen drinking beer on his property. The beer drinker left before deputies arrived to answer the resident’s trespassing call.

Minnie and other deputies spotted the beer drinker’s blue Toyota pickup on I-80. As they started pursuit, Minnie’s head jerked back, his shoulders twisted and he either fell or jumped from his motorcycle.

“Witnesses said he sat up abruptly and quickly and that his head went back,” Winkler said. “We’re trying to figure out what happened, if something maybe flew up and hit him.”

Witnesses stopped and gave Minnie – whose helmet came off during the impact and who reportedly had no pulse – cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

…Kirkland said Minnie is a 12-year department veteran who has been riding motorcycles all his life.

June 2, 1997

Washoe County Deputy Dies of Injuries

A Washoe County sheriff’s deputy who died Sunday of injuries from a motorcycle crash on Interstate 80 is being remembered as a dedicated law enforcement officer and a pioneer in the department’s motorcycle-patrol program.

Franklin Jay Minnie Jr. [sic], 44, died of massive head and internal injuries at 10 a.m. at Washoe Medical Center, where he underwent three hours of surgery Friday after the accident near Boomtown exit.

…Minnie, who worked in the Washoe County Jail for three years before transferring to the sheriff’s patrol division in 1990, started his law-enforcement career with the Nye County Sheriff’s Department in 1981.

The Los Angeles native served in the U.S. Navy received an honorable discharge in 1970.

June 7, 1997

Fallen Washoe Sheriff’s Deputy Honored

An estimated 1,000 law enforcement officers and friends paid their last respects Friday to Washoe County Deputy Sheriff Franklin Minnie, described as a dedicated officer, father, friend and story teller.

…Sheriff Kirkland presented two medals – the Silver Cross for an officer killed in the performance of duty and the Purple Heart for one seriously injured on duty- to each of Minnie’s family members. They included his widow, Jeanne; son, Franklin Jr.; and daughters Kristal Barnett, Lacie DeYoe and Christa Burdick.

Plaque Location & Image

South Wall Column 14 Row E     View The Plaque