Sheriff’s Deputy Dies in Rock-Climbing Fall

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Gallatin County authorities say a sheriff's deputy died in a fall while rock climbing.

Sheriff Brian Gootkin says 35-year-old John "Amos" Ridenour fell 35 to 40 feet Monday while climbing in Hyalite Canyon about 10 miles south of Bozeman.

The Associated Press reports Ridenour went with his son and neighbor to teach the boy how to climb.

Gootkin says Ridenour's son didn't see the fall.

It took several hours to recover his body.

Ridenour joined the sheriff's office in 2005 after working for the Montana State University Police Department and living in Virginia Beach, Va., before that.

Gootkin says the sheriff's department will take care of Ridenour's wife and two children.