A Colorado coroner is refusing to choose up any extra our bodies except he will get a pay elevate – and is threatening to sue if the county commissioners refuse.
Tommy Dunagan, the coroner of Prowers County, argues that he’s solely a part-time worker and shouldn’t need to work greater than 20 hours if he’s not being paid as a full-time worker.
The problem got here to a head over Memorial Day weekend, when he allegedly refused to attend the scene of a loss of life as a result of he already ‘had his hours in’ and did not have sufficient hours to work the next weekend.
He informed county officers that none of his 5 deputies have been in a position to answer the scene, both, and ‘that he would reply the next day when he was again on name’ the next day, Chairman of the Commissioners Ron Prepare dinner mentioned at a particular assembly on June 4.
Consequently, Prepare dinner claimed, the physique was left laying in a discipline whereas an ambulance on the scene waited for county officers to seek out somebody who’s legally allowed to move a physique.
Tommy Dunagan, the coroner of Prowers County, is refusing to choose up any extra our bodies except he will get a pay elevate
Lastly, after a back-and-forth, Dunagan lastly agreed to answer the scene when county commissioners agreed to carry a particular assembly to debate elevating his wage, 9 Information stories.
At that particular assembly final week, county commissioners expressed their frustration with Dunagan’s response, with Prepare dinner noting that he ‘took an oath because the coroner… to maintain any deaths within the county’ and is chargeable for having somebody obtainable to carry out these duties if he’s not obtainable.
‘It is rather unlucky that we have been put in that place,’ he mentioned of the delayed response on June 1, noting that he knew the deceased.
‘It was very upsetting that this dialog needed to go public,’ Prepare dinner added. ‘I believe there have been methods to deal with this extra professionally.’
County commissioners met final week to debate his wage after he reportedly refused to choose up a physique
Residents on the assembly additionally hit out at Dunagan for his obvious new rule, with one lady noting that he ‘campaigned on bringing dignity, transparency and compassion’ to the coroner’s workplace.
‘Does anyone on this room, and I defy you if you happen to say sure, suppose there’s any dignity, compassion or transparency to leaving a physique?’
She went on to name his obvious refusal to reply ‘despicable,’ whereas one other resident mentioned it was ‘inappropriate.’
‘At that second you determined to dig your heels in and go away a human physique, disrespectfully, ready so that you can resolve whether or not or not they’re paying you adequate cash.’
Chairman of the Commissioners Ron Prepare dinner recounted how Dunagan informed him there have been no deputies obtainable and ‘that he would reply the next day when he was again on name’
Dunagan has since denied that there was a delay in his response and claimed the decedent was not ‘left mendacity in a discipline as a result of I refused to reply.’
However on the assembly, he simply appeared to double down, noting that he has by no means left a physique ‘prior to now’ and claiming there is not ‘a lot else I can do with out being compensated’.
‘I do not really feel that past 20 hours I ought to need to take calls after that,’ he claimed on the assembly.
Dunagan has introduced up points about working greater than 20 hours prior to now, main state lawmakers to move a measure permitting county commissioners to make him a full-time worker by January 2024.
As a substitute, the commissioners gave him cash to rent some deputies and elevated the Coroner’s Workplace funds by $15,000, for use to replenish provides.
They can not amend his wage once more till 2026, beneath state regulation.
However Dunagan has now employed his personal legal professional to push lawmakers to boost his wage, and is demanding that the county pay for his authorized charges.
He has additionally hit out on the commissioners for inviting ‘a number of uninterested events and my political rivals to the assembly and [providing] them data on an energetic loss of life investigation.
‘It [was] mistaken and improper to take action and was disrespectful to the decedent and their household, particularly whereas they have been making an attempt to deal with the sudden loss of life of a beloved one,’ Dunagan wrote in a letter to the editor of SECO Information, claiming that the decedent is ‘a buddy of mine and to recommend that I uncared for my duties [is] absurd and disgusting.’
Dunagan has employed an legal professional to attempt to compel county commissioners to boost his wage
Nonetheless, he famous that he has to answer about 100 deaths every year and spend about 15 hours investigating every one.
‘The chief coroner is on name 24/7, 365 and is predicted to answer all deaths,’ Dunagan wrote. ‘
This doesn’t embody the administration of the workplace, coaching, organizing and scheduling of deputy coroners and different deputies and duties of the workplace.
‘Since taking my submit, I’ve averaged 50 hours every week.’
He concluded his essay by saying he desires to be the ‘finest coroner within the state of Colorado’ however ‘I additionally imagine that full-time work deserves full-time pay.’
