One on One: Dr. Charles Siebert

Dr. Charles Siebert says he is tired of everything that has happened to him in the last year. After months of having to answer allegations of misconduct and bad judgement, he says he was never able to meet with the state Medical Examiner’s Commission to defend himself. The hearing was moved from October to January. Since his last day as Interim Medical Examiner ends at midnight, December 28th, there will be no need for the hearing.

Dr. Siebert says he has accepted a position as Medical Examiner in a rural area of New Jersey. He says he is ready to start his life over. His autopsy results in the death of a boot camp teenager were questioned by the Governor and then by a Special Prosecutor brought in to investigate allegations of wrongdoing here in Bay County.  The verdict in the October trial of the Martin Anderson case found all 8 defendants not guilty. Dr. Siebert testified in that trial that the 14 year old died of complications of sickle cell trait. A second autopsy said the boy died from asphyxiation at the hands of the drill instructors.

Dr. Siebert says he would consider staying on here, if for some reason the Medical Examiners Commission recommended him to the Governor for the job as Medical Examiner in the 14th Judicial Circuit, but he says he isn’t expecting that to happen.

To hear the extended interview with Dr. Siebert, click below.

Posted by on 12/27 at 08:32 PM
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This is Florida’s loss.  Not only are the people losing an excellent Medical Examiner, the political corruption of the ME system will haunt the state for years.  This is, unfortunately, likely only a taste of what is to come.  Political corruption of medicolegal investigations is insidious and progressive, and tend to continue to get worse until there is some sort of collapse. At that point, the Medical Examiner Commission will be reformed, but it will likely be decades.  Things will get much worse for the people of Florida before they get better. 

People may think that lynching Dr. Siebert feels good in the short term, but they forget that this kind of corruption is notoriously difficult to control.  It will come back to haunt them.

Above comment posted by billo  on  12/28  at  12:18 PM
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