OD death at clinic run by Lake Co. coroner under investigation
Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller is a central figure in the investigation of an overdose death of a patient at a methadone clinic he runs.
Keller said the investigation, launched in February by the state's attorney's office and other agencies, "may very well have been" a factor in his decision not to run for re-election in 2012. Keller, a Democrat, won a second term in office last November.
Steven Vaughn, 30, of Lindenhurst, died Dec. 3 after receiving two doses of methadone in separate visits to the Green Dragonfly clinic in Waukegan, where Keller is the medical director.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said Vaughn first visited the clinic Dec. 2, when he was given a dose of 40 milligrams of methadone, a drug usually used to fight heroin addiction but one that is also abused as a recreational drug.
Waller said Vaughn returned to the clinic the next day, complaining he had been very ill the night before and had been vomiting, and was given a 70-milligram dose of methadone.
Vaughn left the clinic and returned home, Waller said, and his mother found him dead about 3 p.m. that day.
An investigation by the coroner's office determined Vaughn's death was a result of the combination of methadone and Xanax, a powerful painkiller, in his system.
Waller said investigators are concerned that clinic personnel did not do the mandated urine or blood screen of Vaughn before giving him methadone.
"Drug abusers are traditionally unreliable self-reporters when it comes to their drug use history," Waller said. "Therefore it is essential that a drug screen be completed before any drugs are prescribed for any patient."
Keller said Thursday he is sure Vaughn was given a physical examination before his first dose of methadone was administered.
"However, I haven't checked the records to see if there was a drug screen," he said. "Therefore, I really do not know if there was."
Waller said he is also concerned the investigation into Vaughn's death was conducted by Keller's office, placing the coroner in the position of investigating himself.
But Keller responded that the deputies in his office conducted a thorough investigation of the case, and the blood testing that established the cause of Vaughn's death was done by a laboratory outside his office.
Waller said the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and state Department of Human Services, both of which regulate medical clinics, are assisting in the investigation.
Keller, a physician for more than 30 years who operated a free medical clinic in Waukegan before being elected coroner in 2004, said he was surprised by the investigation.
"The state was out to the clinic a couple of weeks ago," Keller said. "But they said it was a routine audit and inspection being done in the normal course of business."
Keller also said he has not hired an attorney and was surprised when he first started receiving phone calls from reporters.
"I find it somewhat unusual that this information came out of the state's attorney's office at this time," he said. "I thought they generally waited until an investigation was over before making public statements."