Medical examiner will fight removal

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 15, 2007

PANAMA CITY - An embattled medical examiner plans to appeal a recommendation by a state commission to remove him from office, partly because of his autopsy on a teenager who died after an altercation with guards at a juvenile boot camp last year.

The Medical Examiners Commission voted Wednesday to fire Dr. Charles Siebert as medical examiner for six Panhandle counties. The panel last month recommend he not be reappointed when his term expires in late June.

Siebert said Thursday that he hopes State Attorney Steve Meadows will give him a 90-day interim appointment after his appointment expires, allowing him to remain on the job while he appeals.

Meadows plans to announce details about the interim medical examiner's post Tuesday, a spokesman said.

Siebert performed the first autopsy on 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson, who died after being roughed up by guards at the Panama City boot camp. Siebert ruled that the teen died of complications of sickle cell trait. But a second autopsy found he died because the guards covered his mouth and held ammonia capsules to his nose.

Last year, the commission, in an administrative complaint, found Siebert was negligent in performing 39 of 698 autopsies it reviewed.

[Last modified June 14, 2007, 23:17:21]