PITTSFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A western Illinois sheriff has pleaded not guilty to a felony misconduct charge after prosecutors say he botched the 2012 death investigation of a woman who overdosed on heroin.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports (https://bit.ly/1jSJ58C ) Pike County Sheriff Paul Petty’s attorney filed a motion Monday to dismiss the case or appoint a special state’s attorney.
Petty also is the county’s coroner. He was charged last week after authorities said he didn’t follow procedures for embalming the body of 47-year-old Shanda Lopez of Milton. The case stems from allegations that Petty didn’t draw blood for a toxicology screening before Lopez’s body was embalmed.
Petty says he remains the county’s coroner and sheriff, a position he has held since 1998.
Petty’s lawyer, Richard Frazier, says the case was handled appropriately.
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Information from: Belleville News-Democrat, https://www.bnd.com
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