Carson coroner fighting charge of ethics violation

Carson City's head coroner is fighting a 15-day suspension that followed accusations he sent business to Fitzhenry's Funeral Home, his wife's employer.

Chief Deputy Coroner Eric Cantlin said the suspension, handed down by the Carson City Sheriff's Department as a punishment for the alleged ethics violation, was unsubstantiated by evidence. Jerry Mather, chief deputy for the department, said he could not comment on the case because it is a personnel matter.

The suspension ended last week and Cantlin has been back at work, along with a new full-time deputy coroner, Ruth Baseler. Cantlin said his duties this week have been limited to working the front desk. Baseler previously worked as a contractor for the department.

Paperwork on the department's investigation into the charges was not available for public review; however, the department has responded to a grievance filed by Cantlin. Sheriff Rod Banister wrote that the coroner's activities were "a serious breech of the conduct of coroner's office."

Cantlin is hoping that through a grievance hearing, his suspension will be overturned and his former job - with full duties - will be reinstated.

"I can't say much because the case in pending the hearing," Cantlin said. "But there is no proof whatsoever that there was any wrongdoing."

A hearing date is expected to be set for late July or early August.

The accusations stem from a death in January. Walton's Funeral Home and Fitzhenry's - the only competing parlors in Carson City - are on a rotation of alternate months to receive bodies from the coroner's office. It was Walton's turn, so the body was taken there.

But while investigating the woman's personal effects, Cantlin said, he found a card that read: "In the event of my death, please contact Fitzhenry's Funeral Home." The cards are handed out to customers when they are making arrangements.

Walton's reportedly cried foul when the body was transferred to the competition, Susan Cantlin's employer.

Cantlin said he told family members about the card, and they chose to have the body transferred. When they shopped for a less expensive service, they became suspicious of Cantlin's intentions in recommending Fitzhenry's.

Gary Jensen, who works for Walton's, said his company "has had some families say that there is a conflict of interest with the coroner's wife working at a funeral home." He would not comment on the specifics of the allegation.

Susan Cantlin worked at Walton's before she was recruited by Fitzhenry's.

Fitzhenry's General Manager Jim Smolenski said the sheriff's department is attempting to "dictate where Susan can work."

"As far as I'm concerned, there's no basis for these charges," he said. "Susan has worked at the other funeral home too."

Cantlin said the allegations are easily dismissed by a review of the number of cases that are handled by each of the funeral homes. He said the percentage of business that the homes handle has not fluctuated significantly over the years. There are approximately 540 deaths recorded in Carson City each year.

The grievance is also highlighted by Cantlin's belief that the punishment was excessive in light of the alleged violation, said his attorney, Michael Langton. "The first level of punishment would be oral or written reprimand," he said.

He said Susan Cantlin doesn't benefit from additional pay or perks even if business does increase.

Carson City government employs approximately 1,000 people, making grievances a common occurrence, said the city's Personnel Manager Judie Fisher. She said in the next step, Cantlin's case will be heard by a four person panel made up of two classified employees and two department heads from outside of the sheriff's department.

The panel will decide whether to uphold the department's decision to suspend Cantlin. If a decision is deadlocked, the case would go to arbitration. The department has the burden of proof.