Friday, February 6, 2004
|
Friday, February 6, 2004 |
|
County may create medical examiner’s office By JOHN THOMPSON Could Coweta County soon have its own Quincy? While it’s not likely Jack Klugman will apply for the job, the county could soon have the capability to hire a medical examiner. The county voted unanimously Tuesday to draft a resolution calling for local legislation to create the medical examiner’s position. “We’re not trying to do away with anyone’s job. We’re at 100,000 population, and the need is there,” said Commission Chairman Vernon “Mutt” Hunter. Currently, the county has a coroner that handles all suspicious deaths in the county. Wimp Pierce is the county’s coroner. When they passed the motion, Hunter stressed the medical examiner’s office would be in place when the county could afford it. The county currently ships all bodies that could have been the victim of foul play to the state crime lab. Sheriff Mike Yeager said the county does not have to pay examination costs, but does have to pay for transporting the body to the crime lab. The biggest difference between a coroner and a medical examiner is that a medical examiner is a medical doctor, and having one on hand could help speed up criminal investigations, Yeager said. The county will also seek local legislation seeking the creation of a second state judge. The new judge would be elected in 2006 for a four year term. The county’s current state court judge, John Herbert Cranford, will be up for reelection this year.
|
||