Will the county commission vote to name a new county medical examiner?

August 25, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Will the county commission vote to name a new county medical examiner?

The issue is on the agenda for Monday night’s regular monthly meeting.

Last month, Dr. Denise Dingle was terminated by County Mayor Matt Adcock in her role as medical director over county emergency medical services and he also suspended her for 90 days as the county medical examiner alleging Dingle to have been “uncooperative and unprofessional”.

During Monday night’s meeting, the county commission will consider, at the request of County Mayor Adcock, naming Dr. Caleb Cantrell as the new medical examiner. Adcock explained Thursday night during a committee of the whole meeting of the county commission that Dr. Cantrell is currently serving as interim medical examiner while Dr. Dingle is on suspension after which Dr. Cantrell would keep the position permanently, subject to approval by the commission Monday night.

Dr. Dingle has retained attorney Jon Slager to represent her in this matter and late last week Slager emailed letters to each of the 14 county commissioners asking them to take into consideration Dr. Dingle’s spotless record before making a determination.

Action to appoint Dr. Cantrell was on the agenda last month but the county commission voted to postpone it, at the recommendation of County Mayor Adcock, after it was discovered that under state law a county medical examiner appointed to serve a five-year term could not be replaced without a 90-day suspension for cause.

Lonnie Laxton, who works under Dr. Dingle in the medical examiner’s office, addressed the county commission last month during the public comment period complaining that the county’s plans to appoint of Dr. Cantrell caught Dr. Dingle off guard because she had not been notified that she was being replaced. Laxton said he was made aware of it by county employees who had seen the report on WJLE’s website. He then informed Dr. Dingle.

Concerns about the medical examiner position were first raised several months ago during county commission workshops after complaints that the office, in some cases, was not providing a timely response to on scene deaths causing delays in investigations before the removal of a body.

In a “Notice of Cancellation of Services” letter to Dr. Dingle dated July 26, 2024 County Mayor Adcock wrote “Thank you for your services as the DeKalb County Medical Director. I would like to inform you that your services are no longer needed for DeKalb County. We appreciate the service that you have provided for our community, and the help that you provided to the employees of the DeKalb County Ambulance Service”.

Another letter provided to Dr. Dingle by County Mayor Adcock also dated July 26, 2024 states that “I would like to express my concerns of the past events that have transpired during your term in the office as the DeKalb County Medical Examiner. We have had many quarrels over the operation of the Medical Examiner’s Office. This began with the complaints from law enforcement that there were no representatives from your office on scene to perform the role that you are responsible for. We have attempted to have meetings and strategy sessions with you in an effort to resolve the identified problems. You have continued to be uncooperative, unprofessional, and quite aggressive in communication. Under these circumstances, I have decided to suspend you of your services for DeKalb County as the Medical Examiner for a period of 90 days. Thank you for the time you have served for DeKalb County”.

In his defense of Dr. Dingle, Slager pointed out in his letter to the county commission last week that her personnel file contains no write-ups.

“I have been retained to represent Dr. Denise Dingle, MD regarding her termination as DeKalb County Medical Director and her suspension as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. At this point, a recitation of the salient and material facts is set forth for your benefit”:

“Dr. Denise Dingle has served as DeKalb County Medical Director since August 27, 2013 and as DeKalb County Medical Examiner since August 23, 2021. As you are aware, at the Committee of the Whole meeting, held on Thursday July 18, 2024, DeKalb County Mayor Matt Adcock announced that Dr. Dingle would be terminated in her capacity as DeKalb County Medical Examiner and DeKalb County Medical Director and be replaced in both positions by Dr. Caleb Cantrell. However, at the July 22, 2024 DeKalb County Commission meeting, County Mayor Adcock, after being counseled by the county attorney on the applicable laws, abruptly decided to postpone any such action. On July 30, 2024 Dr. Dingle was provided, via hand delivery by Mayor Adcock, notice of her termination as DeKalb County Medical Director and notice of her suspension as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. It is significant that both notices are dated July 26, 2024, four days prior to their hand delivery”.

“In seeking to discern the truth behind Dr. Dingle’s suspension and termination, you will find the following facts to be of great importance:

“Dr. Dingle’s personnel file contains NO written reprimands or other disciplinary actions taken against her by County Mayor Adcock throughout the course of his tenure as DeKalb County Mayor or by any predecessor. In fact, it was due to Dr. Dingle’s remarkable job as medical director that she was appointed by Mayor Tim Stribling and approved by the 2021 DeKalb County Commission to become the DeKalb County Medical Examiner; a unanimous vote that included then Commissioner Matt Adcock. At the July 22, 2024 DeKalb County Commission meeting, Mayor Adcock declared there had been, “a lot of inappropriate and negligent action placed on the part of Mrs. Dingle’s office as far as her medical examiner role”. As noted above, Dr. Dingle’s personnel file contains no evidence that supports Mayor Adcock’s assertions”.

“Before any determination is made, I ask that you take this time to personally review Dr. Dingle’s personnel file. Dr. Dingle is keenly interested in continuing to serve the citizens of DeKalb County”, Slager’s letter concluded.

Meanwhile, County Mayor Adcock Thursday night provided his own letter to the commission explaining reasons for wanting to make a change in the medical examiner position.

“I reach out to you this day in reference to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner. The current approved County Medical Examiner as you know is Dr. Denise Dingle. In previous discussions, you have heard me address the concerns that the Sheriff and I have raised on Dr. Dingle. We have had individuals not showing up to the scene of a death at a residence. In addressing concerns with Dr. Dingle, she has always acted very offensive and unprofessional using curse words and other unprofessional language. She expressed an I don’t care attitude and praised herself upon self-identifying she was stubborn and hard to work with”.

“Dr. Dingle was suspended on July 26, 2024 after the events that has transpired. Caleb Cantrell was temporarily appointed as the interim Medical Examiner for DeKalb County. After Caleb had taken the role, we also discovered that Dr. Dingle was charging the funeral homes to sign certificates of cremation. After speaking to one of the local funeral homes, no other county Medical Examiner from other surrounding counties charge for this. Caleb Cantrell has not been charging this to the funeral homes. The funeral home mentioned that they have been adding the amount that Dingle had charged the funeral home, to the funeral bill of the deceased. This has been costing the taxpayers of our county more for services the county already provides”.

“Caleb Cantrell has already improved the situations of the County Medical Examiner’s Office since he has temporarily held the position. Dr. Cantrell is very easy to get ahold of and very professional in his performance. Dr. Cantrell has even attended and is scheduled to attend more continual education for Medical Examiners. Medical Examiners play a large role in the community. They are not here just to sign a piece of paper. They are the lead medical investigator of the community. They must work well with other agencies including but not limited to the County Mayor, the Sheriff’s Office, TBI, FBI, and other state and local partners. The citizens of this county deserve someone that is going to work for the best interest of them in mind.”

“With all this in mind, I would like to formally make the recommendation to permanently excuse Dr. Dingle from the position of DeKalb County Medical Examiner. I would also like to formally make the recommendation that Dr. Caleb Cantrell be appointed the new DeKalb County Medical Examiner”.

If approved as the permanent county medical examiner, Dr. Cantrell would be earning a minimum salary of $31,000 per year plus benefits for the combined positions of director/examiner. County officials said Dr. Cantrell had not asked for a salary for the position, only health insurance but in order for the county to provide him health insurance, Dr. Cantrell had to be a county employee and draw at least a minimum salary. The county has been paying Dr. Dingle $5,000 a year as medical director and $100 per body as medical examiner. According to statistics, the county averages 50-60 bodies per year in which a medical examiner/coroner’s report is needed.

During the county commission’s committee of the whole meeting Thursday night, August 22, County Mayor Adcock explained how that Dr. Cantrell could be made the permanent medical examiner.

“If Caleb is appointed on Monday, he cannot be the permanent medical examiner until her (Dr Dingle’s) 90-day suspension is over. But something has to happen within those 90 days. Once I suspend somebody according to that statute, there is a 90-day period in that suspension that I have to find a new medical examiner. I have to appoint somebody. If I do appoint somebody in those 90 days, it goes to the new person permanently. They are the new medical examiner. If I do not have anybody appointed within those 90 days once those 90 days closes, she is automatically off the suspension and back as medical examiner,” he said.

County Mayor Adcock further explained the role of the medical director.

“She (Dr. Dingle) was terminated as the medical director which is a different role than the examiner. The medical director is over our medical services. We have to have a doctor just like a nurse. Our EMT’s, Paramedics, etc have to work off a doctor’s license,” he said.

“Even before all this blew up in a budget committee meeting, I spoke about the medical director and the medical examiner being the same person for a patient during a time when they were sick and in the event that they died it would be the same doctor providing both services. Yes, I did terminate her (Dr. Dingle) as medical director. That is just a contracted professional service. It didn’t have any statute for a suspension or anything like that. Its just like anything else (other contracted services). We contract for a company to come and fill up oxygen bottles. Its kind of the same thing. It is a contracted service that Dr. Dingle had with EMS. I cut ties with that and appointed Dr. Cantrell as medical director. That does not need confirmation by the commission. Now I am asking the commission to appoint him as medical examiner. That does need confirmation,” said County Mayor Adcock.

“The bottom line was the costs for Caleb did in fact turn out to be more than we were collectively paying Dr. Dingle,” explained County Commissioner Tom Chandler during the meeting Thursday night. “The thing Caleb started out wanting only was medical insurance but in order to give him medical insurance he had to be an employee of the county. And to qualify even as an employee for the medical insurance he had to have a minimum salary, and that minimum salary is being extended to him. The collective costs is more than Dr. Dingle, however we are expecting to get much better service out of Caleb than we have been getting out of Dr. Dingle. And Dr. Dingle has seen no increase in what she was getting because the service she was offering was questionable. So yes, the bottom line is that Caleb is going to end up making more money than we were paying Dr. Dingle,” added Commissioner Chandler.

Commissioner Greg Matthews, during Thursday night’s meeting, said he wanted to see something on paper or documented by the county on the accusations against Dr. Dingle.

“Is any of this on paper? I would be more comfortable if there was something saying here is what she has done. Patrick (Sheriff Ray) can you put something on paper,” asked Commissioner Matthews.

“My complaint has been to the man that is her boss and that’s where every one of them (complaints) has been to Matt and Matt has brought it up to you (commission) what I told Matt. He will tell you, I call him every time I have a problem with an ME (Medical Examiner) and every time we are sitting there (death scene) with nowhere to go,” said Sheriff Ray.

County Mayor Adcock, in response to Slager’s letter, said it does not allege any illegal actions taken by the county against Dr. Dingle. Adcock also took issue with the fact that the letter was sent to all 14 commissioners but not to him.

“I understand we have a letter from an attorney, but he didn’t even send it to me. He had the audacity like a coward to send it to the 14 commissioners instead of to me, but this (letter) doesn’t scare me. There is nothing in this letter that says we did anything illegal. It just says we want you to look at her record and that she has not had any written disciplinary action in the past,” said County Mayor Adcock.

In response to discussions at the Thursday night meeting, Slager issued the following prepared statement:

“Dr. Dingle and I stand behind the letter that was sent to the commissioners on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

It was sent specifically to the commissioners because they are the final arbiters in this matter. It certainly appears that Mayor Adcock has his mind made up, despite only bringing forward undated and unsubstantiated allegations that are wholly absent from Dr. Dingle’s personnel file. Ultimately, Mayor Adcock seeks to compel the taxpayers to pay about five or six times what they currently pay, for the same service, at a time when he appears to also be actively advocating for some of the largest tax increases in the history of this county. Despite Mayor Adcock’s repeated references about Sheriff Patrick Ray’s concerns regarding Dr. Dingle, it is significant that Sheriff Ray has never publicly supported the position now taken by Mayor Adcock”.

“I invite every commissioner and citizen to conduct their own independent research into the validity and factual accuracy of the allegations made by Mayor Adcock. Undertake a search of her personnel file if you desire, but you will find no documentation evidencing even a single oral or written reprimand by Mayor Adcock. Do not be misled by the false confidence of Mayor Adcock regarding this issue”.

August 24, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A border war win!

The DeKalb County Tigers celebrated a season opening victory Friday night at home beating their border rivals from Warren County 28 to 14.

Senior Captain and quarterback Jordan Parker had a hand in all four touchdown’s throwing for one to Ryan Lyons and scoring three himself on runs of 77, 4 and 15 yards. Kicker Adrian Prater tacked on the extra point after each touchdown.

The Tigers (1-0) will travel to Smith County (0-1) next Friday night, August 30 to face the Owls. Kick-off is at 7:00 p.m. and WJLE will have LIVE coverage. Smith County lost at home to Gordonsville 20-6 Friday night.

The Tigers got their first points of the season with 1:30 left in the opening period on a 12-yard touchdown catch from Jordan Parker to Ryan Lyons. Prater added the PAT and DC led 7-0.

Parker used his feet with 4:30 to go in the 2nd period rambling 77 yards on a quarterback keeper for another score. Prater converted the PAT and the Tigers led 14-0.

Warren County quarterback Brady Swallows hooked up with Isaiah Robledo on an 84-yard touchdown pass play with 2:03 left in the 2nd period. Gavin Looper booted the extra point and the Pioneer’s got on the board trailing 14-7.

Parker would score twice more for the Tigers in the second half, first on a 4-yard touchdown run with 9:38 left in the 4th period and on a 15-yard scamper with 4:47 to go in the game. Prater kicked through the extra points and DeKalb County led 28-7.

Warren County added its final touchdown with 2:30 left in the game on a 9-yard pass from Brady Swallows to Isaiah Robledo. Gavin Looper added the PAT. The final score was 28-14 with DeKalb County getting the victory.

August 23, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb Prevention Coalition hopes to light up Greenbrook Park Saturday, August 24 to honor and remember loved ones lost to overdose death.

A Glow Vigil Walk for International Overdose Awareness Day will be held at Greenbrook Park (large pavilion) from 5:00 p.m. until dusk. Glow material will be provided.

The observance will also feature recovery testimony, music, a skit performance, dinner and refreshments, community resource tables, and free overdose reversal training.

For more information phone Jennifer Matthews at 615-215-2024 or email dekalbtnprevention@gmail.com or follow on Facebook.

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee and Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

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