FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2007
Office of the State Attorney
Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida
In and For Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties
Steve Meadows P. O. Box 1040
State Attorney Panama City, FL 32402
850-872-4473
(800)842-0103 (FL only)
Statement of State Attorney Steve Meadows regarding the office of the 14th
District Medical Examiner:
The office of District Medical Examiner is one of great importance to our
community. The medical examiner is charged with the responsibility to
determine the cause of death and such circumstances surrounding it as are
necessary and in the public's interest. The legal and law enforcement
communities rely upon the medical examiner to provide a fair and complete
investigation and accurate, medically sound findings. The citizens demand no
less. Politics should play no role in deciding who occupies the medical
examiner’s office.
I have received the notice, from the Medical Examiner’s Commission, that Dr.
Charles Siebert was not recommended for reappointment as the District 14
medical examiner. That notice declares that a vacancy will exist as of July
1st. Further, I am required to convene a search committee for the purpose of
recommending a qualified physician to fill that vacancy. The composition of
that committee is specified by the Florida Administrative Code and includes
representatives of the State Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriffs, Police
Chiefs, County Commissions, and funeral homes from within our six county
district. The committee will also include a representative of the local
medical community and a physician member of the Medical Examiners
Commission. Those who have thus far agreed to be part of the search
committee are:
Bill Williams, Gulf County Commissioner
Steve Southerland, Licensed Funeral Director
Kevin Crews, Chief, Chipley Police Department
John McDaniel, Sheriff of Jackson County
Herman Laramore, Public Defender
Dr. Rodney Morris, surgeon
I will preside as chair of the committee.
The committee will seek applications from interested candidates, gather
information, and conduct interviews. Any licensed physician, who is an
experienced pathologist and certified, or who possesses the qualifications
to take the certification exam of the Board of Pathology, may apply.
The committee is appointed, effective on the date of the declared
vacancy–July 1, 2007. The search committee shall complete the interview and
selection process and submit interview packages of the recommended
candidates, to the Medical Examiners Commission, by September 28, 2007. The
search committee will complete the process, as required by law, in an
efficient and timely manner.
The Commission will review the information submitted and, by majority vote,
will nominate one or more candidates to the Governor. While the Commission
is not restricted to the consideration of candidates recommended by the
search committee; I have every confidence that our search committee will
perform its duties and that the Medical Examiners Commission will give great
weight to the recommendations submitted.
As you can see, the process for ensuring that the people of the 14th
district have a medical examiner in place is underway. Still, as a
consequence of the Commission’s actions, a vacancy in that position will
exist as of July 1st.
We are in receipt of the decision of the Medical Examiners Commission to
remove Dr. Siebert from his post. The staff of the Commission has been very
cooperative in responding to our requests and we have been able to collect
and compile all of the information on the allegations placed against Dr.
Siebert. This information includes records of meetings and supporting data
from the members’ meeting packets, correspondence from Dr. Wolf, as well as
a spreadsheet which categorizes all of the responses received by the
Commission’s request for input.
We have conducted our own, independent review of the materials and find no
fact-based, medical or legal reason to alter the confidence expressed in our
letter to the commission recommending the reappointment of Dr. Siebert. In
fact, 43 of the 45 entities who responded to the commission, to include the
State Attorney, the Public Defender, all chief county administrators,
sheriffs, police chiefs, funeral homes, and the Organ Recovery Services,
expressed favorable opinions as to Dr. Siebert's ability to perform the
duties required as medical examiner of 14th District.
In addition to earning the respect from the agencies and businesses that
count on him and his competence on a daily basis, Dr. Siebert was described,
in the official minutes of the May 23rd meeting of the Medical Examiners
Commission, as a "competent and very hard working pathologist." He was
complimented for being able to perform a "very thorough, complete, and
informative autopsy" as well as for his interaction with law enforcement and
community involvement. It was also noted, that "if Dr. Siebert is guilty of
anything, it is pride..." That assessment in no way interferes with the
performance of his duties as medical examiner.
Just two weeks ago, on June 5, 2007, Dr. Barbara Wolf, the Associate Medical
Examiner from the 21st District, who was assigned by the Commission to
provide a quality assurance review of Dr. Siebert, wrote a letter to the
Commission complimentary of Dr. Siebert’s job performance. In that letter, a
copy of which is available to each of you, Dr. Wolf stated that Dr. Siebert
had "in good faith fulfilled his agreement" with the Commission and "that
there is no need for further direct supervision." She said that she was
"confident in his ability to perform high quality postmortem examinations."
His autopsies were described as expert and thorough.
It is significant that these comments were made after the preparation of the
Commission staff report and probable cause finding alleging issues with the
Martin Lee Anderson autopsy. That autopsy has been scrutinized
and dissected like no other in my memory or in the institutional memory of
this office, which reaches back some 30 years. I am confident in saying that
no medical examiner or pathologist in the country has endured the scrutiny
applied to Dr. Siebert. Even to the point of criticizing a transcription
error. It is not uncommon for medical professionals to evaluate and
consider the same evidence and come to different conclusions. Most often,
this is done without questioning the integrity of an expert solely for
holding a different opinion. In the case involving the death of Martin Lee
Anderson, a Bay County jury will ultimately decide how much weight to give
the conflicting medical findings. A court of law is the appropriate place
for those issues to be decided.
The investigation of the criminal case has been conducted by State Attorney
Mark Ober in a professional manner throughout. I hold Mr. Ober, and his
staff, in high regard. I appreciate his comments, in his November 28, 2006,
letter to then Governor Bush, in which he noted that he "rightfully ignored
repeated demands calling for a rush to judgment. To have done otherwise
would have politicized (his) investigation..." Mr. Ober has not yielded to
political pressure. Nor will I.
I will not sacrifice Charles Siebert on the altar of political expediency or
correctness. Despite what amounts to a reckless character assassination by
some media outlets and, regrettably, even some members of our government, I
believe Dr. Siebert to be a competent and thorough medical examiner–not
beholden to anyone or any cause. Quite simply, Dr. Siebert is a
well-qualified doctor doing his best to serve the people of this district.
I am certain that Dr. Siebert looks forward to a hearing before an
administrative judge and his first opportunity to respond to the allegations
upon which the vote for his removal was based.
It is my intention, pursuant to the authority provided in Section 406.15 of
the Florida Statutes, to appoint Dr. Charles Siebert, effective July 1,
2007, to act as temporary medical examiner, for the 14th District, until a
permanent medical examiner is appointed by the Governor. I have every
confidence that Dr. Siebert will continue to provide the service that our
citizens deserve during this interim term.
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