Doctor: veins of obese Ohio inmate inaccessible

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A doctor says the veins of an obese Ohio inmate condemned to die are inaccessible and questions whether he could be injected with lethal drugs.

Ohio State medical center anesthesiologist Sergio Bergese says veins on inmate Ronald Post’s forearms are inaccessible from scarring from a suicide attempt.

Bergese also said in a Thursday court filing he could not find veins in Post’s hands, and says it’s unlikely Post could be injected in his legs because of his weight. The doctor says Post weighs more than 400 pounds.

Post wants a judge to stop his January execution on the grounds his weight could cause him to suffer severe pain during the procedure. The state opposes the request.

Post is to die for the 1983 slaying of Helen Vantz in Elyria.