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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Amend: Offensive Questions Part Of Job

Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend defended himself against charges of unprofessional medical conduct for three hours Tuesday afternoon, stating his decisions as a coroner had nothing to do with his medical license.

In a disciplinary hearing before a panel of the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission, Amend talked publicly for the first time since the commission charged him in March with moral turpitude in four death investigations.

Moral turpitude is conduct that reflects poorly on the medical community and demeans the profession in the eyes of the public.

Amend said his medical background helps him make decisions on causes of death, but that he doesn’t act as a doctor when making those decisions.

He said any questions that offended grieving families were necessary to determine why people died. He maintained his decision on a controversial death certificate was forensically backed. He said he decided to publicize the alleged sodomy of a murdered girl to identify a public health risk.

“The purpose of exposing risk factors is to possibly impact people’s lives so they might change behavior,” said Amend, who sat at a table in front of his wife, four of his sons and a grandson.

Amend, a 77-year-old retired urologist, could lose his medical license for his conduct in the death investigations of Rachel Carver, Kendra Grantham, Mario Lozada and Jeffrey Himes.

The panel’s decision on Amend’s medical license won’t affect his position as county coroner.

But the decision could mean the end of Amend’s volunteer work at the Union Gospel Mission, where he sees as many as 30 homeless patients a month as a general practitioner.

The hearing at the Ridpath Hotel is scheduled to continue until Thursday. The five-member panel, made up mostly of doctors, will then have 90 days to issue its decision.

Assistant Attorney General David Hankins finished presenting the state’s case Tuesday. He relied on five witnesses - Amend, family members in three of the four cases, and Dr. George Lindholm, the forensic pathologist who performs most of the region’s autopsies.

Hankins told the panel Amend’s conduct as coroner reflected poorly on the medical profession.

“He has represented himself to the community as a physician,” Hankins said.

In a bolo tie, black shirt and checked jacket, the relaxed Amend admitted representing himself as a medical doctor while running for coroner. He said he identifies himself as a medical doctor in correspondence and death certificates.

But both Amend and his lawyer, Hugh Lackie, said Amend’s questions and decisions that offended families were made as coroner - not as a doctor.

“Coroners need to have the ability to speak freely on controversial matters without fear of retribution,” Lackie said.

Mabel Grantham burst into tears as she told the panel about her talk with Amend. She said he asked to see pictures and an address book belonging to her murdered daughter, Kendra Grantham, who was 16.

“He said, ‘Did you know your daughter was in a gang?”’ said Grantham, sobbing. “I said, ‘No, my daughter knew people who were in a gang but she wasn’t in a gang.’

“He said, ‘Do you know if the gang members ever sodomized your daughter?’ I said, ‘No.”’

Amend denied ever asking whether Kendra Grantham, who was shot to death, was sodomized by any gang member.

Paula Chain, 11-year-old Jeffrey Himes’ mother, said Amend asked her if her son masturbated, if he had a girlfriend, if he had any sexual contact with a male friend and if he used alcohol and drugs. Himes died in a fire in a friend’s shed.

Chain also said Amend asked her 13-year-old son, Brian Himes, whether his younger brother masturbated or used alcohol and drugs.

Amend said Tuesday that he didn’t know Brian Himes was only 13.

“I asked if the brother was masturbating as a reason for his being there, in that environment,” Amend said.

Amend said Playboy magazines and beer cans were found at the burned shed. He said cigarettes were found on Jeffrey Himes’ body. He said it was common medical knowledge that 11-year-olds masturbated.

Amend also defended stating publicly that 9-year-old Rachel Carver, bludgeoned to death by her uncle, was sodomized. An autopsy failed to show conclusive evidence of sodomy.

Amend said Tuesday that he had the permission of the girl’s father to talk publicly about the case. He said he was trying to alert the public to the risk of child abuse.

But when he initially said Carver was sodomized, Amend pointed the finger at the “homosexual lifestyle” and said it contributed to Carver’s death.

Amend also said the death certificate for Mario Lozada, who died in police custody, was forensically sound.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo