DeKalb County has been playing a round of musical medical examiners lately, placing the current ME on suspension, and set to vote to approve another to take her place.
According to DeKalb County Mayor Matt Adcock, he terminated Dr. Denise Dingle as medical director over DeKalb Emergency Medical Services, and placed her on a 90-day suspension in her role as county medical examiner.
Mayor Adcock reported in a letter to the County Commission, “I reach out to you this day in reference to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner. The current approved County Medical Examiner as you know is Dr. Denise Dingle. In previous discussions, you have heard me address the concerns that the Sheriff and I have raised on Dr. Dingle. We have had individuals not showing up to the scene of a death at a residence. In addressing concerns with Dr. Dingle, she has always acted very offensive and unprofessional using curse words and other unprofessional language. She expressed an ‘I don’t care’ attitude and praised herself upon self-identifying she was stubborn and hard to work with.”
“Dr. Dingle was suspended on July 26, 2024 after the events that has transpired. Caleb Cantrell was temporarily appointed as the interim Medical Examiner for DeKalb County. After Caleb had taken the role, we also discovered that Dr. Dingle was charging the funeral homes to sign certificates of cremation. After speaking to one of the local funeral homes, no other county Medical Examiner from other surrounding counties charge for this. Caleb Cantrell has not been charging this to the funeral homes. The funeral home mentioned that they have been adding the amount that Dingle had charged the funeral home, to the funeral bill of the deceased. This has been costing the taxpayers of our county more for services the county already provides.”
“Caleb Cantrell has already improved the situations of the County Medical Examiner’s Office since he has temporarily held the position. Dr. Cantrell is very easy to get ahold of and very professional in his performance. Dr. Cantrell has even attended and is scheduled to attend more continual education for Medical Examiners. Medical Examiners play a large role in the community. They are not here just to sign a piece of paper. They are the lead medical investigator of the community. They must work well with other agencies including but not limited to the County Mayor, the Sheriff’s Office, TBI, FBI, and other state and local partners. The citizens of this county deserve someone that is going to work for the best interest of them in mind.”
“With all this in mind, I would like to formally make the recommendation to permanently excuse Dr. Dingle from the position of DeKalb County Medical Examiner. I would also like to formally make the recommendation that Dr. Caleb Cantrell be appointed the new DeKalb County Medical Examiner”.
The issue of the medical examiner was first raised at the Commission’s July meeting, with the commission set to vote on Cantrell at that time, but there were questions over procedure. It was learned that a 90-day suspension must first take place in the role of ME, and then the commission could take action. A county medical examiner is appointed to serve a five-year term and could not be replaced without a 90-day suspension for cause.
In a “Notice of Cancellation of Services” to Dr. Dingle dated July 26, 2024, County Mayor Adcock wrote “Thank you for your services as the DeKalb County Medical Director. I would like to inform you that your services are no longer needed for DeKalb County. We appreciate the service that you have provided for our community, and the help that you provided to the employees of the DeKalb County Ambulance Service.”
If approved by the commission, Dr. Cantrell will earn a minimum salary of $31,000 per year, plus benefits for the positions of medical director and medical examiner. Adcock said Dr. Cantrell had not asked for a salary, only health insurance, but in order for the county to provide him health insurance, Dr. Cantrell had to be a county employee and draw at least a minimum salary. The county has been paying Dr. Dingle $5,000 a year as medical director, and $100 per body, as medical examiner. According to statistics, the county averages 50-60 bodies per year in which a medical examiner/coroner’s report is needed.
In letter to the commission by Attorney Jon Slager, who is representing Dr. Dingle, Slager asked the commission to conduct their own research into the allegations made against Dr. Dingle.
“I have been retained to represent Dr. Denise Dingle, MD regarding her termination as DeKalb County Medical Director and her suspension as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. At this point, a recitation of the salient and material facts is set forth for your benefit.”
“Dr. Denise Dingle has served as DeKalb County Medical Director since August 27, 2013 and as DeKalb County Medical Examiner since August 23, 2021. As you are aware, at the Committee of the Whole meeting, held on Thursday July 18, 2024, DeKalb County Mayor Matt Adcock announced that Dr. Dingle would be terminated in her capacity as DeKalb County Medical Examiner and DeKalb County Medical Director and be replaced in both positions by Dr. Caleb Cantrell. However, at the July 22, 2024 DeKalb County Commission meeting, County Mayor Adcock, after being counseled by the county attorney on the applicable laws, abruptly decided to postpone any such action. On July 30, 2024 Dr. Dingle was provided, via hand delivery by Mayor Adcock, notice of her termination as DeKalb County Medical Director and notice of her suspension as DeKalb County Medical Examiner. It is significant that both notices are dated July 26, 2024, four days prior to their hand delivery.”
“In seeking to discern the truth behind Dr. Dingle’s suspension and termination, you will find the following facts to be of great importance:
“Dr. Dingle’s personnel file contains NO written reprimands or other disciplinary actions taken against her by County Mayor Adcock throughout the course of his tenure as DeKalb County Mayor or by any predecessor. In fact, it was due to Dr. Dingle’s remarkable job as medical director that she was appointed by Mayor Tim Stribling and approved by the 2021 DeKalb County Commission to become the DeKalb County Medical Examiner; a unanimous vote that included then Commissioner Matt Adcock. At the July 22, 2024 DeKalb County Commission meeting, Mayor Adcock declared there had been, “a lot of inappropriate and negligent action placed on the part of Mrs. Dingle’s office as far as her medical examiner role”. As noted above, Dr. Dingle’s personnel file contains no evidence that supports Mayor Adcock’s assertions.”
“Before any determination is made, I ask that you take this time to personally review Dr. Dingle’s personnel file. Dr. Dingle is keenly interested in continuing to serve the citizens of DeKalb County.”
At Monday’s meeting, there were several local citizens that spoke out in support on Dr. Dingle, including her husband Lonnie Laxton, who works under Dr. Dingle in the medical examiner’s office.
“The points that were brought up during the workshop were 95 percent false, but we didn’t get a chance to get up and let you know about them.” Laxton told the commission. “I was hoping that some of you guys would have looked into it a little further, and hopefully we can postpone the vote tonight so we can go over it.”
“Everything that has been asked to be fixed was fixed, and then a few months later, since Dr. Dingle would not give in to letting the county funds go into her personal account, that’s when Matt blew up and changed the whole format.”
“Basically, everything he (Adcock) is saying is unethical and cannot be found in her record. They are completely untrue, and I hope that some of you have looked into it.”
In the end, the commission voted to postpone appointing Dr. Cantrell as ME until the next meeting. The commission must act on the position within the 90-day suspension, which began on July 26.
