--- title: "County Coroner Accused of Doing Drugs He Stole From Dead Bodies" description: "Local law enforcement is accusing Yakima County coroner Jim Curtice of snorting cocaine he stole from dead bodies." date: "2024-09-28" modified: "2024-09-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/county-coroner-accused-cocaine-drugs-dead-bodies" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "cocaine" - "fentanyl" --- # County Coroner Accused of Doing Drugs He Stole From Dead Bodies ![Local law enforcement is accusing Yakima County coroner Jim Curtice of snorting cocaine he stole from dead bodies.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* 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." **More on cocaine:** *[Scientists Open Up 17th Century Cadavers, Discover Good Old Fashioned Cocaine]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()