QUOTE OF THE DAY: "“We have got to make sure that things can continue to work through the system and that we don’t all of a sudden find ourselves without the ability to go forward,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said. Dr. Peerwani is not a county employee. But moving forward, Whitley said the medical examiner and all employees will be employed by the county."
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STORY: "Tarrant County Medical Examiner term extended by 3 months," The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
GIST: "Tarrant County commissioners Tuesday unanimously voted to extend the services of current Tarrant County Medical Examiner Dr. Nizam Peerwani, who was set to retire Thursday.
Peerwani has served as the Tarrant County Medical Examiner since his appointment in 1979.
On Tuesday, commissioners approved an agreement that will keep Peerwani in that position until December 31, 2021 “in order to avoid a gap in services.”
“We have got to make sure that things can continue to work through the system and that we don’t all of a sudden find ourselves without the ability to go forward,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said.
Dr. Peerwani is not a county employee. But moving forward, Whitley said the medical examiner and all employees will be employed by the county.
Earlier this year, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office audited the work of Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Marc Krouse after the body of Alfredo Oliveras, 19, had to be exhumed for a new autopsy because Krouse missed a bullet and an ankle monitor in his report. Krouse’s attorney disputes that a mistake was made.
The audit -- performed by Dr. Peerwani -- looked at 41 homicide cases Krouse worked on in 2020 until he was suspended in November and found omissions, lapses, and failures to obtain all necessary records in 27 of the 41 cases.
While the audit looked at Tarrant County cases, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office includes Tarrant County, Denton County, Parker County and Johnson County.
State District Judge George Gallagher appointed the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to do an independent, investigation of Krouse’s work.
Documents show Krouse's last day of employment was on April 24, 2021.
WFAA asked Whitley how the county can assure its residents that, under the continued leadership of Peerwani, that issues like these won't happen again: “The Dallas DA has looked at things and he’s still in the process of looking at that. We’ve stayed in touch with him. We feel very comfortable in going forward.”
WFAA reached out to Peerwani and asked how he will ensure these issues don’t happen again under his leadership. In a written statement through a spokesperson, Peerwani said he will "continue to perform random comprehensive audits on homicides and high-profile cases until the end of his extended tenure of professional appointment. This process should pick up all major non-conformities."
According to the approved agreement, the county will pay Peerwani $60,000 each month. It’s hard to know how this amount compares to the medical examiner’s past salary, because in the past, the county said it was paying Peewani a lump sum each month, which he would then use to pay himself and his
employees.
Peerwani directed WFAA's questions about his salary to the county.
Meanwhile, Whitley said they expect to be interviewing candidates to replace Peerwani early next month."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article254581697.html
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article254581697.html
