Henrietta man drowns in Outer Banks

A Henrietta man drowned Monday while swimming on vacation in North Carolina.

Ronald J. Walls III, 46, was pronounced dead at 12:11 p.m. after being pulled from the surf on a beach in Duck, a town in the northern Outer Banks, according to a town spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman, Denise Walsh, said in a statement that bystanders were attempting to revive Walls using CPR when town safety personnel arrived on the scene near Dianne Street and assumed treatment. Dare County paramedics responded soon after but were unable to resuscitate Walls, who was vacationing with his wife.

Walsh described the surf conditions at the time as moderate, with waves between 4 and 6 feet, and no visible rip currents.

Walls was the founder and chief executive officer of Henrietta-based KNR Computer Service, which provides information technology support for residential and small business customers. Walls founded the company in 2004 after working 10 years as a project manager at Harris Interactive. His dog, Viggo, is the company's mascot.

"He treated everyone as a friend," said the company's vice president and co-owner, Mike Stutzman. "His having that kind of personality is what made it possible for us to have a business like ours."