Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict Joins GOP! [Archive]

lamarrebel

10-17-2006, 09:45 PM

Tonight at the fishfry honoring Senator Trent Lott hosted by the Forrest County Republican Party at the Forrest County Multipurpose Center, Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict was introduced as a new member of the Republican Party.

politically incorrect

10-17-2006, 09:52 PM

Oh, boy! A conservative coroner to rule cause of death by original intent, just the way the framers intended. Who needs the House and Senate when we have death-certificate signers on our team?

Forgive me, Hub, I am a Republican voter and hope and pray that the GOP holds on to Congress. But, come on. Butch Benedict becoming a Republican is not a big deal at all. What influence does he have? How can he help the conservative cause? It sounds as if the GOP is grasping at straws to tout such a meager accomplishment.

wilebill

10-17-2006, 09:57 PM

Butch Benedict becoming a Republican is not a big deal at all. What influence does he have? How can he help the conservative cause?
He hasn't been accused of sending lewd messages to young boys yet. :smt102

fuzzis

10-17-2006, 10:01 PM

I'm not sure I understand the logic of having the coroner be an elected position.

fuzzis

SoMissTV

10-17-2006, 10:06 PM

Fuzzis-

It's important to elect a coroner that upholds the traditional values of death, and does not subscribe to those "alternative deathstyles" that are so popular in California, Massachusetts, and Europe.

SoMissTV

10-17-2006, 10:14 PM

I couldn't find the job duties of coroner in Mississippi; I couldn't find a free copy of the Mississippi code on the net. I do know that in Alabama, the coroner is the only official in a county that can arrest the sheriff. I would imagine that's why it is important for it to be an elected position there. I don't know about Mississippi, though...

No-Halo

10-17-2006, 10:17 PM

We don't have a lot of Sheriff arresting going on around here but if needed the coroner would be obligated to do so SoMiss.

SoMissTV

10-17-2006, 10:20 PM

Mobile County Sheriff Jack Tillman was arrested early this year. They had to track down the coroner to sign the paperwork.

lamarrebel

10-17-2006, 10:26 PM

I couldn't find a free copy of the Mississippi code on the net. ...

Here's the link:
http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/toc.htm

SoMissTV

10-17-2006, 10:28 PM

Yeah, I found that link, but couldn't find the qualifications within the Mississippi Code, and there was no search structure. Can you find it for us?

lamarrebel

10-17-2006, 10:38 PM

Here's the qualifications link on coroners (besides being a qualified elector and 21 years of age)

http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/41/061/0057.htm

SoMissTV

10-17-2006, 10:41 PM

Excuse me, I meant duties, not qualifications... sorry! I couldn't find the duties of coroners listed.

lamarrebel

10-17-2006, 10:49 PM

With a quick search, I couldn't find a statutory description of the duties either....

politically incorrect

10-18-2006, 12:29 AM

A coroner is the only person in the county who can arrest the sheriff in Mississippi, too.

My great-uncle was Forrest County Coroner for about 30 years. He worked at one of the local funeral homes. The duties include certifying all deaths in the county that occur outside of a hospital or the care of a physician. They do not actually perform autopsies - that is done by the State Medical Examiner's office in Jackson. They simply go to the scene of the death and record information that would be helpful to the doctor performing the autopsy. They give an initial ruling of the death as either a homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, or undetermined. This is usually pretty easy to determine. Knife in back is usually homicide, etc. It is a pretty awful job if you ask me. You have to go out every time someone dies outside of the hospital and just verify that they are dead and fill out paperwork. You get paid per diem on each call you go out on.

wilebill

10-18-2006, 12:36 AM

A coroner is the only person in the county who can arrest the sheriff in Mississippi, too.
So if the Sheriff kills the coroner he gets off scott free? :smt102

zorro

10-18-2006, 02:05 AM

A coroner is the only person in the county who can arrest the sheriff in Mississippi, too.
I"m not sure that this is true on 2 counts:

1. I'm not sure that a coroner himself can arrest anyone

2. I certainly don't think that he would be the only possible guy that could arrest a sheriff in MS.

Are there any lawyers here that can verify either of these points?

daisy

10-18-2006, 04:49 AM

I heard a constable can arrest a sheriff and I thought this was the only one who can. This was from a constable.

Astra

10-18-2006, 07:58 AM

Most states are starting to switch over to a medical examiner system, where each county or district has an ME who is hired on their medical qualifications rather than elected. It keeps political bias out of the equation and ensures that the person has the medical knowledge necessary to perform their job.

Like I said in an earlier thread, technically I could have run for coroner straight out of high school. All that is required is that you be 18 and complete a crash course in Jackson for a certification.

Conveyor Belt

10-18-2006, 08:05 AM

I atteneded the 'circus' last night. It was funny. The banner on the fence said "Circus parking, first lot, fish fry, second lot"... I was thinking of all the funny ways that could have been rewritten to make for some fun political comedy.

Astra

10-18-2006, 11:41 AM

So was this event "honoring" or "fundraising for" Trent Lott?

wilebill

10-18-2006, 11:44 AM

So was this event "honoring" or "fundraising for" Trent Lott?There's a difference?

Astra

10-18-2006, 12:30 PM

Good point.

SoMissTV

10-18-2006, 12:46 PM

I"m not sure that this is true on 2 counts:

1. I'm not sure that a coroner himself can arrest anyone

2. I certainly don't think that he would be the only possible guy that could arrest a sheriff in MS.

Are there any lawyers here that can verify either of these points?

The statutes in Alabama specify that the coroner is the only county official that can arrest the sheriff, not the only official in the state. I would imagine that if this is also a statute in MS, then the same line of thought would apply here, too.

And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a reply to a legal opinion on this board; the lawyers (one in particular) seem able to expound prolifically on any subject except for the law. They'll charge you for that one.

zorro

10-18-2006, 12:52 PM

The statutes in Alabama specify that the coroner is the only county official that can arrest the sheriff, not the only official in the state.

Coroner or constable?

TheKing

10-18-2006, 01:42 PM

This isnt news...

This is a misguided republican political hopeful trying to cast some sort of positive PR light that 'everybody is going GOP'

My friend, the exact opposite is true...republicans and the party itself are becoming victim of their own inreasingly extreme right leaning principles, when in fact, they should be staying just right of center.

I am with hawk...expect the GOP to either lose or come damn close to losing the majority come this midterm election...and in two years the nail will be driven home.

especially after this silly bill GWB just passed and the dude who liked to stroke little high school boys

SoMissTV

10-18-2006, 01:54 PM

Coroner or constable?

Coroner. The guy who looks at dead people.

zorro

10-18-2006, 02:17 PM

Coroner. The guy who looks at dead people.
OK, if you are correct about this, I freely admit that I don't understand this law. Can a coroner arrest anybody else other than the sheriff? Can anyone point to a case where a coroner in MS arrested anyone (other than a Gomer Pyle "citizen's arrest")?

SoMissTV

10-18-2006, 02:41 PM

OK, if you are correct about this, I freely admit that I don't understand this law. Can a coroner arrest anybody else other than the sheriff? Can anyone point to a case where a coroner in MS arrested anyone (other than a Gomer Pyle "citizen's arrest")?

Again, I'm not sure how things work in Mississippi, but in Alabama the coroner can arrest only the sheriff. Mobile County's sheriff, Jack Tillman, was arrested earlier this year, and the coroner was the one to make the arrest.

wilebill

10-18-2006, 02:46 PM

zorro

10-18-2006, 03:39 PM

Here's a google link (http://www.google.com/search?q=coroner+arrest+sheriff&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) of a lot of different places in the US that states that only the coroner can arrest the sheriff, so it appears this is probably the norm.
Well, I never knew this. Now I'm smarter than I was this morning!

Thanks for the info. How much does a coroner make per year?

Astra

10-18-2006, 04:59 PM

Cononer'ing is getting to be a big blackmarket business in the US, enabling/accessory to illegal body part harvesting.
Actually, the weakest link is in the examiner assistants and mortuary personnel. Coroners just declare a death, and depending on the laws, cause and manner. They still usually have to release a body to the family.

Most of the thefts are actually done while the body is at a mortuary, especially from bodies that are going to be cremated or buried with a closed casket. Much easier to assure that the family won't notice anything is amiss, and not nearly as much oversight.

TheKing

10-18-2006, 05:27 PM

You are joking right?

dollfus46

10-18-2006, 05:41 PM

He hasn't been accused of sending lewd messages to young boys yet. :smt102

Nor lining his pockets with illegal land deals, and tax evasion schemes, that net him millions.

dollfus46

10-18-2006, 05:43 PM

I agree the office of coroner is and should be about the most non-political of offices

I was thinking the Sheriff's job should hold that title.

SoMissTV

10-18-2006, 05:54 PM

If you think the current GOP is leaning to the extreme right, then you truly are not well read in conservative ideology. The reason the party is struggling is because most Republicans have moved to the center, or even left of the center.

Okay, you've got my attention. I would be very interested in hearing your definition of conservative ideology, or "the perfect conservative." It would also be interesting people's thoughts on the definition of liberal ideology, or "the perfect liberal."

Could you start a thread along these lines? I don't want to hijack this one.

wilebill

10-18-2006, 11:32 PM

Actually, the weakest link is in the examiner assistants and mortuary personnel. Coroners just declare a death, and depending on the laws, cause and manner. They still usually have to release a body to the family.

Most of the thefts are actually done while the body is at a mortuary, especially from bodies that are going to be cremated or buried with a closed casket. Much easier to assure that the family won't notice anything is amiss, and not nearly as much oversight.I just happened upon this story on BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6064692.stm) and thought I'd pass it along.

Astra

10-18-2006, 11:55 PM

I heard about that one today, too, wilebill. Those guys have brought Burke and Hare's (http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/burke/index_1.html) game to a whole new level. Oddly enough, maybe a week before the story broke, an episode of "Bones" featured a storyline that was very close to what appears to have gone down. Sad coincidence.