Oklahoma's State ME's Office Facing Possible Indictment For Gross Incompetence

This is going to be HUGE! I cannot even begin to think how many convictions are going to be challenged and cases are going to be overturned. This is a Defense Attorney's dream come true! OMG!

Report: ME Office Mishandled Criminal Evidence
Posted: Jul 21, 2009 12:08 PM CDT

TULSA, OK -- The News On 6 is following the fallout from a report against the state's Medical Examiner's Office.

Grand jurors indicted the former chief investigator, calling his administration either willfully blind or grossly incompetent. And this scandal could throw the validity of criminal convictions up in the air.

Grand Jury's full report: http://www.oag.ok.gov/oagweb.nsf/0/4f08268923589981862575f9006f2a9f/$FILE/me%20interim%20report.pdf

~Snip~

The grand jury report alleges open harassment and even sexual battery of employees within the office.

~Snip~

"Pervasive in the sense it hasn't happened just one time, but is it an example of a systemic case of negligence of handling of evidence. It can affect numerous, dozens maybe, murder, manslaughter and homicide convictions," said Allen Smallwood, an attorney.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10762887

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Report: ME's Office Employees Emotionally, Sexually Victimized
Posted: Jul 20, 2009 3:55 PM CDT

UNDATED -- A multi-county grand jury called the administration at the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office either willfully blind or grossly incompetent. The report released on Monday blasts a former chief investigator. And, his attorney fires back.

Kevin Rowland is the former chief investigator for the state medical examiner's office. His attorney says he ran a tight ship. And, criticized the Tulsa ME's Office. And, Rowland's attorney says that's why the grand jury is coming after his client.

~Snip~

"Have we all just become a bunch of little babies? So what, what office doesn't play around and joke around? Whether he did it or not, who cares?" said Scott Adams, Kevin Rowland's attorney.

The grand jury report goes on to say formal complaints about harassment were either lost or stolen. The grand jury indicates not only was their record keeping sloppy, but the ME's office handling of evidence was at times downright careless.

The grand jury says in its report they heard testimony that personal property collected during medical exams that wasn't secured or treated as evidence. The report says some items, like crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia, is kept by the ME's office and is prominently displayed on employees desks.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10757112

Wow, the implications of this could be huge! I mean, how many years has this been going on.

I'm wondering how this finally came to light as well seeing as they are saying complaints were lost or stolen. I'll also be interested to see what else we hear out of this.

This all came to light during an investigation into the funding etc. of the ME's office. It has been going on for a very long time, but I don't know how far it goes back.

I am certain every defense attorney in the state is now doing cartwheels and cracking open a magnum of champagne! GRRRRR! This sounds like it could be a devastating blow to our Judicial system and to the taxpayers.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10763228

It looks like on Thursday a sealed indictment will be opened charging one person on 4 counts. On Friday one indictment will be opened charging one person on 1 count.

Very interesting. Thanks SS for the OP. We will have to follow this ;}

To get some background SS, is this ME the one for the County that Tulsa is in? Is it that every county has an ME or every big city?

Also, could this affect any cases we have studied. The only one I can think of now is the Oklahoma City bombing. xox

I sure hate to see this story! Compromise evidence and who knows what else. Why, why, why? This ME will never get another chance to do past cases over - FUBAR.

scandi said:

To get some background SS, is this ME the one for the County that Tulsa is in? Is it that every county has an ME or every big city?

Also, could this affect any cases we have studied. The only one I can think of now is the Oklahoma City bombing. xox

Click to expand...

There are two offices. One in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa. The Chief Medical Examiner is in Oklahoma City and the way it sounds is supposed to oversee the one in Tulsa.

The Chief Medical Examiner testified that he only did 25% of the administrative duties he was supposed to perform and the rest were given to the Chief Criminal Investigator named K. Rowland. Everything was funneled through him as far as any decisions made for the office. It also mentioned past ME's used the same practice giving this person too much control. (The article states he has worked for the agency for 20 years!! *GULP*)

Trust me...this is worth the read and not very long. It explains everything in detail.

http://www.oag.ok.gov/oagweb.nsf/0/4f08268923589981862575f9006f2a9f/$FILE/me%20interim%20report.pdf

(For some reason it won't link the above page)

Here is the article I referenced:

Kevin Rowland's attorney says the case is all retribution because his client criticized the wrong people. And that his client dedicated 20 years to the agency and never got anything but accolades, until recently.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10757112

Something else which I find extremely odd is that only KOTV news is reporting this. I checked the main stations in OKC and Tulsa. Do they not realize how big this could be in the long run?!

I don't know the answer to that, Scandi. I don't know how many cases it could affect. I think since the OKC Bombing case was Federal that the evidence did not go through the State ME's office.

TULSA, OK -- A former medical examiner investigator in Tulsa is accused of fondling and speaking in a sexual manner to two female co-workers. The indictments against Kevin Rowland were unsealed on Thursday morning in Tulsa County District Court.

~Snip~

The grand jury's indictment claims the former chief investigator made a number of unwanted sexual advances to two female co-workers. Among the allegations, that Rowland "intentionally touched and felt the body and/or private parts, asked one woman what color of underwear do you have on, and grabbed another woman's buttocks."

Earlier this week, Rowland's attorney told The News On 6 that the allegations weren't that big of a deal.

"Have we all just become a bunch of little babies? So what? What office doesn't play around and joke around? Whether he did it or not, who cares?" said Rowland's attorney Scott Adams.


~Snip~


"The fact that Mr. Rowland may or may not have raised complaints or concerns regarding the Tulsa office certainly have nothing to do with the grand jury's finding that he committed the crime of sexual battery," said Assistant Attorney General Joel-Lyn McCormick.

Another set of indictments is expected to be unsealed on Friday in Oklahoma City concerning allegations in that office.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10776130 BBM

This answers the question if it is both offices or just the Tulsa office. Unfortunately for Tulsa, it appears to be their office in question of Gross Incompetence.

His attorney is screaming about him being a whistleblower and this being retalliation. What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?! It does matter, Mr. Adams, if he did it or not as to the sexual advances!! If it was your wife or daughter, I bet it would matter!! GRRRR!

Read the indictment: http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWSon6/PDF/0907/grandjuryindictment.pdf

This could be big! Shocking as it is, unfortunately, it is not uncommon. (Sheepishly runs away.) At least someone is getting the ball rolling.

You just never get a second chance to get it right the first time.

"Crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia" displayed openly on desks. Yep, crack is wack. I wonder if they were hitting the pipe instead of doing their jobs.

At least he is allegedly an equal opportunity sexual overture kinda fella:

Ex-State ME Investigator Accused Of Groping Man
Posted: Jul 24, 2009 10:27 AM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- The former chief investigator for the state medical examiner's office was charged with sexual battery of a male co-worker today in Oklahoma County, one day after charges of groping two female co-workers were filed against him in Tulsa.

The indictment against Kevin Rowland was unsealed Friday morning in Oklahoma County District Court.

The indictment accuses Rowland of touching a male co-worker's private parts without consent and making sexually suggestive comments from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, 2007.

~Snip~

Rowland did not appear in court Friday and has turned himself in at the Oklahoma County jail. His bail was set at $2,000 and his arraignment was scheduled for July 28.

Rowland's attorney Scott Adams said his client is innocent.

"We are dealing with him slapping a guy on the *advertiser censored*. I want you to take a look at this man, this is an innocent man who's being tortured right now," Adams said. "What if he slapped me on the *advertiser censored* right now, are we going to put him in prison are you kidding me, is that what this is all about? It shows you it's a total witch hunt, a total political hack job."

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10784538

Latest Indictment: http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWS9/PDF/0907/ROWLANDINDICT.PDF

BBM

Yes, Mr. Adams...in your opinion...obviously, it would be appropriate behavior for him to slap you on the @ss during a professional work day! Maybe he should take a swipe at you while you are addressing the Judge at the next hearing? Or perhaps it would be more appropriate for him to slap you on the @ss while you two are in your office alone and he can show you how it feels to be at the mercy of someone in authority over you who makes you feel helpless about the advances? He is being tortured?! What happened to those complaints from the people who felt tortured while being under his control at work?

That attorney is not doing his client any favors by shooting off his mouth.....so keep talking buddy.

SeriouslySearching said:

At least he is allegedly an equal opportunity sexual overture kinda fella:

Ex-State ME Investigator Accused Of Groping Man
Posted: Jul 24, 2009 10:27 AM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- The former chief investigator for the state medical examiner's office was charged with sexual battery of a male co-worker today in Oklahoma County, one day after charges of groping two female co-workers were filed against him in Tulsa.

The indictment against Kevin Rowland was unsealed Friday morning in Oklahoma County District Court.

The indictment accuses Rowland of touching a male co-worker's private parts without consent and making sexually suggestive comments from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, 2007.

~Snip~

Rowland did not appear in court Friday and has turned himself in at the Oklahoma County jail. His bail was set at $2,000 and his arraignment was scheduled for July 28.

Rowland's attorney Scott Adams said his client is innocent.

"We are dealing with him slapping a guy on the *advertiser censored*. I want you to take a look at this man, this is an innocent man who's being tortured right now," Adams said. "What if he slapped me on the *advertiser censored* right now, are we going to put him in prison are you kidding me, is that what this is all about? It shows you it's a total witch hunt, a total political hack job."

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=10784538

Latest Indictment: http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWS9/PDF/0907/ROWLANDINDICT.PDF

BBM

Yes, Mr. Adams...in your opinion...obviously, it would be appropriate behavior for him to slap you on the @ss during a professional work day! Maybe he should take a swipe at you while you are addressing the Judge at the next hearing? Or perhaps it would be more appropriate for him to slap you on the @ss while you two are in your office alone and he can show you how it feels to be at the mercy of someone in authority over you who makes you feel helpless about the advances? He is being tortured?! What happened to those complaints from the people who felt tortured while being under his control at work?

Click to expand...

Slaps on the behind are acceptable in only certain situations like in football or certain sports where it is typical and not unwanted touching.

However, it the workplace it is pretty much unacceptable. There are only a few places on the body one can safely touch another person at work without alarm bells going off. Always err on the side of caution.

It looks like caution was thrown to the winds at this ME office with the reports of drugs laying open on desks, evidence sitting in trash bins, and the unwanted sexual touchings. Oy vey.

This ME's office reminds me of the description of the ME's office in the case of Kristin Rossum who was convicted of killing her husband Greg deVillers. She stole drugs from the ME's office in which she worked and she had a serious meth problem. She pilfered from the drug evidence locker, lifted crack pipes and such and (get this) smoked meth at work in the room that had that machine that sucks all the vapors and smoke up into it. Apparently, her co-workers were none the wiser that she was crackin' out at work.

Oklahoma M.E.'s Offices Locked Down

posted 07/24/09 12:05 pm

Tulsa - Oklahoma state medical examiner's offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa are locked down after an employee allegedly made a threat.

Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said Friday that Rob Deaton, the office's interim chief investigator, made a threat, including a comment about a gun. She didn't know what motivated the comment.

Deaton was suspended and termination proceedings were initiated.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0709/643412.html BBM

Now...I could be wrong...but isn't this the guy that just replaced the one who was indicted?! Sheesh!! If so...he didn't last long!

Rowland's attorney needs to shut his yapper. Seriously, people complain of lawyer bashing on here but I'm sorry....I've worked with and seen plenty of lawyers just like this. Absolutely disgusting. No NOT all are like this I realize that, but this level of stupidity is seen quite a bit.

BA Cemetery, State ME Office And Others Sued Over Missing Remains

Posted: Jul 29, 2009 4:52 PM CDT
Updated: Jul 30, 2009 3:41 PM CDT

BROKEN ARROW, OK -- Steve and Terry Copeland were interviewed on Monday by The News On 6 when they said the smell of a decomposing body was making it miserable for them to visit the final resting place of their seven-year-old son. Floral Haven is working on getting rid of the smell, which is not coming from the boy's crypt.

~Snip~

The Copelands' lawsuit says the Medical Examiner's office took control of J.J.'s body for an autopsy, and the family contacted Floral Haven to handle the arrangements.

Also alleged in the lawsuit:

That the Medical examiner's office improperly released the body without his organs to the transport service.

That the boy's body was exposed to the elements for six hours prior to embalming and was delivered in an outrageous condition, by Ray Fransisco's Embalming Services without the organs to Floral Haven.

That Floral Haven embalmed and buried J.J. without his organs.

The people named in the lawsuit are accused of mishandling the boy's remains, either through negligence or for illegal profit.

~Snip~

In a statement filled out by J.J.'s father, Steven Copeland, he says he was waiting at Floral Haven for his son's body to be delivered in a Fransisco Embalming Services van. Copeland says that when he opened the van doors, his son's body was off the gurney, not in a body bag, but wrapped in a bloody sheet and a blue blanket.

The boy's father says that when he unwrapped his son, the boy's body had not been stitched up, the chest and abdominal cavities were exposed and there appeared to be no internal organs.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10814089

OMG!!! This last article is horrifying!

Thank you, SS, for keeping us updated on this sorry mess.

SeriouslySearching said:

BA Cemetery, State ME Office And Others Sued Over Missing Remains

Posted: Jul 29, 2009 4:52 PM CDT
Updated: Jul 30, 2009 3:41 PM CDT

BROKEN ARROW, OK -- Steve and Terry Copeland were interviewed on Monday by The News On 6 when they said the smell of a decomposing body was making it miserable for them to visit the final resting place of their seven-year-old son. Floral Haven is working on getting rid of the smell, which is not coming from the boy's crypt.

~Snip~

The Copelands' lawsuit says the Medical Examiner's office took control of J.J.'s body for an autopsy, and the family contacted Floral Haven to handle the arrangements.

Also alleged in the lawsuit:

That the Medical examiner's office improperly released the body without his organs to the transport service.

That the boy's body was exposed to the elements for six hours prior to embalming and was delivered in an outrageous condition, by Ray Fransisco's Embalming Services without the organs to Floral Haven.

That Floral Haven embalmed and buried J.J. without his organs.

The people named in the lawsuit are accused of mishandling the boy's remains, either through negligence or for illegal profit.

~Snip~

In a statement filled out by J.J.'s father, Steven Copeland, he says he was waiting at Floral Haven for his son's body to be delivered in a Fransisco Embalming Services van. Copeland says that when he opened the van doors, his son's body was off the gurney, not in a body bag, but wrapped in a bloody sheet and a blue blanket.

The boy's father says that when he unwrapped his son, the boy's body had not been stitched up, the chest and abdominal cavities were exposed and there appeared to be no internal organs.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10814089

Click to expand...

What the heck is going on in Oklahoma ("where the waving wheat can sure smell sweet")? What did the ME's office do with the internal organs? Were they held for some kind of toxicological testing? Were they sold on the black market? Or did the embalming service harvest the organs? Why didn't they at least stitch up the body and put it in a body bag to go to the funeral home? At the very least, why wasn't the body in a bag or a closed container?

And, even if the body did arrive at the embalmer's in a sorry state (smelling, not refridgerated, and missing organs), why couldn't the embalmer fix the odor issue?

Further, I understand there was a family member ensuring the body made its way to the funeral home and was subject to seeing the corpse in an awful state. I don't know about Oklahoma law, but it looks like they could have opened themselves up to some serious liability here too. A family member (at most) would be bracing themselves (at this juncture, which was moving the body from the ME's office or the embalming place to the funeral home) to see their loved one zipped up in a body bag. One would not expect to see said loved one in a bloody blanket, the Y incision not sewn shut, missing all the internal organs, and stinking up the van. Lord, have mercy!

I don't know how this lawsuit is progressing but the smart move would be to sue all the parties involved (unless other facts come to light pointing to one party's responsibility) and see where the dust settles.