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Thomas responds to complaint To the Citizens of Marshall County: I, C.W. “Chuck” Thomas, served as your elected county coroner from January, 1992 until December, 2003. The
Mississippi Ethics Commission has fully investigated my tenure as
county coroner. Questions have arisen concerning the 2003 year,
specifically, an amount totalling $3,755.00. I would like to take this
opportunity to present to you the facts in determining whether there
was any wrong-doing on my part or if this is a political move to
discredit me. The monies in questions were paid
to the Holly Springs Funeral Home by Marshall County by order of the
board of supervisors as follows: $240.00......(6) Body Bags $2,765.00.....Transport of Bodies from scene to Jackson, MS, for autopsy $750.00......Pauper Funerals Before
I took office as coroner, I went to the board of supervisors concerning
any potential conflict of interest. The board attorney stated that as
long as my father, Charles Thomas Sr., would not benefit directly from
my position as coroner, business should continue as usual. Business
as usual started in May of 1987, when a tragic accident left two
victims on hot asphalt for over two hours. That is when the county made
arrangements with the local funeral homes to be on call at all times to
transport deceased bodies from scenes to prevent any family from having
to endure this again. In our efforts to provide
this service, as coroner, these calls were divided between the local
funeral homes. Until now, this was not questioned; however, some
explanation has been required concerning only the 2003 year. Large
quantities of body bags were not kept on hand by the coroner’s office.
When a bag was needed, individual families incurred that cost. During
2003, there were six (6) cases where this cost could not be recovered,
and was billed to Marshall County by Holly Springs Funeral Home at the
actual cost of the bag. The $2,765.00 that Holly
Springs Funeral Home billed the county in 2003 was for charges that
resulted from transporting multiple decedents from Marshall County to
Mississippi Mortuary in Jackson, MS, where autopsies were performed.
The funeral home provided the vehicle, fuel and personnel who stayed
during the autopsies and transported the bodies back, typically a 14-
to 18-hour procedure. As for pauper funerals, those were handled directly by the board of supervisors and did not involve the county coroner’s office. In
2003, there were 237 coroner calls. Often, these cases were either
accidental or violent deaths that required blood and body fluid
precautions. For that reason, I contend that my use of body bags was
not excessive. Also, over 50 counties in
Mississippi have coroners who are directly connected to a funeral home,
with at least 15 county coroners being directly connected with the
county contracted ambulance service. My situation is neither unique nor
unusual. Most all of you know that I wear a white
shirt and tie every day, as a symbol of respect to my profession. The
bodies that I handled were also respected by timely removal and
handling of your loved ones. The political world
we live in today has caused me to have to address these sensitive
areas. If anyone whose family was touched by the office I held and has
been hurt by these reminders, I am truly sorry, but I have been forced
to account for the county’s board-approved reimbursement to my father’s
funeral home. I was given an opportunity by Tom
Hood to pay $4,100.00 to the Mississippi Ethics Commission when he
interviewed me some three to four weeks ago, and I was told that this
investigation would be sealed and disappear. That felt like an
admission of guilt to me. Instead, I chose for
this matter to be brought to our county, because I have lived a
transparent life in this county for 47 years. I welcome your questions
and your comments and covet your prayers as the political wheels
continue to turn. Respectfully,
C.W. “Chuck” Thomas
Public Servant
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