Local law enforcement is accusing Yakima County coroner Jim Curtice of doing drugs he stole from dead bodies.
As the Yakima Herald-Public reports, Curtice first reported that he had been poisoned after claiming his energy drink, protein powder, and tea kettle water had been spiked with cocaine and fentanyl.
But after failing a lie detector test in August, police probed him further until Curtice admitted to snorting drugs he found on dead bodies at work.
On August 26, his wife found him unconscious in his chair. Police later found fentanyl in his urine, suggesting he had an extremely close call.
It's a bizarre incident that goes to show how far some people are willing to go for a fix — and the high risk of a fentanyl overdose, especially when doing drugs from an unknown source.
As detailed in a search warrant obtained by the Herald-Public, Curtice is now on leave to address "personal issues."
The coroner already had a drug abuse-related run-in with police in March 2023 after an off-duty cop drove him home from a bar, after which he started punching and kicking him. The sheriff's office declined to file third-degree assault charges, citing Curtis' mental state and intoxication, according to the report.
Following the August incident, Curtice's wife testified that he was suffering from PTSD after spending 30 years as a firefighter and paramedic.
A drug-sniffing police dog searched Curtice's office, immediately signaling the presence of drugs. According to the Herald-Public, detectives identified powder on his work desk.
After failing the lie detector test, Curtice admitted to using the drugs — snorting them off his arm at his desk — three times a week for several months. He also admitted to spiking his tea kettle and protein powder to support his lie that he was being targeted by somebody in the "drug world."
It's still unclear whether police will file charges.
"If we get to that point, that is a conversation we will have to have with our in-house counsel," Yakima County commissioner LaDon Linde told the Herald-Public. "I don’t want to speculate on that."
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