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Big problems in the Adams County Coroner’s Office
Contributed by: Khrysti Lunnar on 9/15/2006

My name is Khrysti Lunnar and I worked as an intern and a part-time paid pathology assistant with the Adams County Coroner's Office for the past several months under current coroner Jim Hibbard. I received numerous commendations from coroner Hibbard and he even provided a good character reference for me in renting my current residence.

I thoroughly enjoyed the "job" itself but didn't enjoy the unethical and perhaps even illegal conduct that I soon witnessed occurring routinely in the coroner's office. I feel that in this office keeping employee issues confidential is difficult but it is an important part of managerial skills. I should have seen that confidentiality and professionalism were not important, when at our first meeting you advised me that I would be taking the place of another P.A. who had an obsession with male genitalia and was let go for that reason. And according to your comment, "Yeah, Stephanie was a real weirdo." I should have known better. I

t was not for a lack of dedication to my job or goals that cause me to feel this way but the way others were treated in the office and ultimately before my forced resignation the mistreatment and accusations regarding me. I felt uneasy about being "forced to falsify reports" that I prepared following evidence collection during an autopsy. I was asked to perform the duties of the pathology assistant for four autopsies alone when none of the other P.A.'s was available. I did this on one day's notice and without pay. I was told that even though on some occasions the pathology assistant who trained me wasn't even present during the autopsy, her name was supposed to appear on the evidence reports as having collected it. I also became aware that this particular pathology assistant was having an extra-marital affair with an investigator in the coroner's office and the affair had occurred while he was on duty and at his desk.

I brought this and the falsifying of reports concern to the attention of Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Chavez, who seemed receptive at first but in a second meeting I was told by Chavez "that a more mature person would've left it alone" (the affair issue) and I was "stirring the pot.'

I mentioned that I felt any opportunity I had to become a death scene investigator might be gone because of the issues I had knowledge of and received no reply. Despite being told, on countless occasions, by Chavez that I would be in the next reserve program to train for the position; this training was postponed three times during my employment though it had been promised to others as well. I felt forced to resign my position with the coroner's office for my so-called "whistle-blowing."

Strangely enough, the morning after I resigned, I received a 6:15a.m. telephone call at my residence from detective Kelly Haralson of the Northglenn Police Department. She told me that that I was to bring the memorabilia that I earned for successfully completing the citizen's academy and return it to her.

I am not sure why the Northglenn Police Department would further retaliate against me after my forced resignation from the coroner's office. (Perhaps, former Northglenn detective Steve Hipp, whom Hibbard hired as an investigator after his "untimely departure" from Northglenn Police Department still, has influence over people in Northglenn.)

Since my departure from the coroner's office, I spoke with Hibbard and told him that there were things going on in the Coroner's office that he probably didn't know about. He told me that he "knew everything that happened in his office." I asked him about obtaining my personnel file and he told me that he "destroyed it." He told me that I was NOT an employee (despite my pay check stubs stating I was a regular part time employee) and destroyed those records. (I recorded this telephone conversation.) I cannot help but wonder what other personnel files/records, he has destroyed. His most experienced investigator also recently resigned from his office because of the problems.

Please vote Hibbard out of office on Nov. 7, and join me and countless other former employees and perhaps current employees of the Coroner's Office (300 percent plus turnover since Coroner Hibbard) who support Adams County Sheriff's Office Detective David Shaklee as the next Coroner.

Thank you for your time.



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Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Leonard Avery
posted on 9/16/2006 @ 12:30:15 AM
Rated Story
I have a friend that used to work for Adams Co. Coroner and he ran afoul of the same problem. He now works for another county Coroner office. L. Avery
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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

John Eisel

Denver , COLORADO

John Eisel has posted 2865 stories and 12 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. John Eisel's average story rating is 4.39.
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