Colorado coroner refuses to pick up any more bodies unless he gets a pay rise as he is accused of refusing to attend the scene of a death because he’d already worked 20 hours that week

A Colorado coroner is refusing to collect any more bodies unless he gets a raise — and is threatening a lawsuit if county commissioners refuse.

Prowers County Coroner Tommy Dunagan says he is only a part-time employee and should not work more than 20 hours if not paid as a full-time employee.

The issue came to a head over Memorial Day weekend when he reportedly refused to attend the scene of a death because he was “already on his hours” and did not have enough hours to work the following weekend.

He told county officials that none of his five deputies could respond to the scene either, and “that he would respond the next day when he was back on call,” Commissioners Chairman Ron Cook said at a special meeting. meeting on June 4.

As a result, Cook alleged, the body was left in a field while an ambulance waited on scene until county officials found someone who could legally transport a body.

Ultimately, after back and forth, Dunagan finally agreed to respond to the scene when the county commissioners agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss raising his salary. 9 News items.

At that special meeting last week, county commissioners expressed frustration with Dunagan’s response, with Cook noting that he “took an oath as coroner… to take care of any deaths in the county” and is responsible for ensuring someone is available is to perform. tasks when he is not available.

“It’s very unfortunate that we ended up in that position,” he said of the delayed response on June 1, noting that he knew the deceased.

“It was very disturbing that this conversation had to become public,” Cook added. “I think there were ways to handle this more professionally.”

County commissioners met last week to discuss his salary after he reportedly refused to pick up a body

Residents at the meeting also criticized Dunagan for his apparent new rule, with one woman noting that he “campaigned on bringing dignity, transparency and compassion” to the coroner’s office.

“Does anyone in this room, and I challenge you if you say yes, think there is any dignity or compassion or transparency in leaving a body behind?”

She called his apparent refusal to respond “despicable,” while another resident called it “inappropriate.”

“That’s when you decided to dig in your heels and leave a human body disrespected, waiting for you to decide whether or not they’re paying you enough money.”

Commissioners Chairman Ron Cook recounted how Dunagan told him there were no alternates available and “that he would respond the next day when he was back on call.”

Dunagan has since denied there was a delay in his response, claiming the deceased was not “left lying in a field because I refused to respond.”

But during the meeting, he seemed to double down, noting that he had never left a body “before” and claiming that “I can’t do much else without being compensated.”

“I don’t feel like I should be answering calls after 20 hours,” he claimed during the meeting.

Dunagan has raised issues in the past about working more than 20 hours, leading state lawmakers to pass a measure that would allow county commissioners to make him a full-time employee by January 2024.

Instead, the commissioners gave him money to hire some deputies and increased the Coroner’s Office budget by $15,000, to be used to replenish supplies.

Under state law, they can’t change his salary again until 2026.

But Dunagan has now hired his own lawyer to push lawmakers to increase his salary, and is demanding the province pay his legal fees.

He also criticized the commissioners for “inviting several disinterested parties and my political rivals to the meeting and [providing] them information about an active death investigation.

‘It [was] it was wrong and inappropriate to do so and it was disrespectful to the deceased and his family, especially as they tried to cope with the unexpected death of a loved one,” Dunagan said. wrote in a letter to the editor of SECO Newsclaiming that the deceased ‘is a friend of mine’ and implying that I have neglected my duties [is] absurd and disgusting.’

Dunagan has hired a lawyer to try to force county commissioners to increase his salary

Still, he noted that he has to respond to about 100 deaths each year and spend about 15 hours investigating each death.

“The Chief Coroner is available 24/7 on 365 and is expected to respond to all deaths,” Dunagan wrote. ‘

This does not include the administration of the office, the training, organization and scheduling of deputy coroners and other deputies and responsibilities of the office.

‘Since taking up my position, I have averaged 50 hours a week.’

He concluded his essay by saying that he wants to be the “best coroner in the state of Colorado,” but “I also believe that full-time work deserves full-time pay.”