No Criminal Charges Filed Against Former Ventura County Medical Examiner
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday the conclusion of an investigation that began in May 2015 and looked into alleged unprofessional and unethical practices of the the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, and said that there is not sufficient evidence to file criminal charges.
The investigation revealed that there were numerous cases in which Chief Deputy Administrator Armando Chavez conducted procedures that could be classified as autopsies or partial autopsies, and practice medicine despite not having medical training or certification. The 50-page report says that these procedures were ordered by Dr. Jon Smith while he was out on vacation.
“This practice resulted in both medical conclusions and preparation of autopsy reports that were not the product of a thorough examination of the body and necessary laboratory tests by a physician and medical professional,” said the DA’s Office in a statement released to the press.
The statement further says, “Because the law is unclear, and because Chavez’s job classification authorizes him to assist in autopsies and ‘obtain tissue and fluid samples from dead bodies,’ criminal liability cannot be imposed.”
The investigation report also reveals that Smith had received letters from the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners and the Oregon Medical Board for allegedly practicing medicine without a license. But because there is not enough evidence that California state laws were violated in these instances, no criminal charged can be filed.
Smith also spent “significant amounts of time working for entities outside his primary responsibilities as the full-time Chief Medical Examiner and derived significant financial benefits from this work,” according to the DA’s Office.
Smith is no longer employed with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. Chavez continues employed in his role as Chief Deputy Administrator.
Read the full report at http://www.vcdistrictattorney.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Medical-Examiner-Report-e-version.pdf
