State Medical Examiner resigns from office plagued with problems
Published 8:49 am Friday, January 29, 2021
State Medical Examiner Dr. Mark LeVaughn has resigned from his position Thursday. Department of Public Safety Spokesman Chris Vignes confirmed LeVaughn’s resignation to several news sources.
LeVaughn has been on administrative leave since November. State officials have been silent about why Levaughn was on leave other than to say it was because of a personnel matter.
LaVaughn had been in charge of the office since 2011. The State Medical Examiner’s Office is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death for all reportable deaths requiring investigation.
With only three medical examiners in the state, he was responsible for at least a third of the ongoing investigations in the state.
Under LeVaughn’s tenure, problems with backlogs at the crime lab had not been uncommon. During LeVaughn’s tenure, the state has also been unable to keep deputy medical examiners in place, most of whom have left citing less-than-competitive pay.
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