Duties of the Coroner –
Mandated by CRS 30-10-601 and following articles. Responsibilities of this office include determining the cause and manner of death in cases of sudden or unexpected deaths in Arapahoe County, especially those occurring under violent or suspicious circumstances. This includes documentation, collection and preservation of evidence as well as providing courtroom testimony.
Why we need to retire Mike Doberson:
Mike Doberson, the incumbent, is a life-long Democrat, who sought the Coroner’s post when he moved to Arapahoe County. Doberson was advised that he couldn’t win in Arapahoe County as a Democrat, so he switched his party affiliation to “R”. Doberson won as a Republican, and has remained in that registration for the last 14 years. But Doberson has a picture of prominent Democrats (John Kerry and others) displayed proudly behind his desk. Last year, when Doberson’s Democrat opponent nearly beat him during the “Obama tsunami” with no campaign effort, Doberson remarked that it no longer paid to be a Republican. He changed his registration back to “D”. Doberson planned to run this last campaign, then to retire during his term, and appoint his deputy to fill his job.
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Why we need to elect Jay Ledbetter to the Coroner's office:
Combining Medical Experience and Training with Investigative Experience
As a Prosecutor of crimes from traffic offenses to murder, Jay Ledbetter handled more than thirty cases a week. Jay conducted and supervised investigations of crime scenes in hundreds of cases. Jay had the highest conviction rate in the office. Jay knows how to evaluate a death scene for the telltale signs which differentiate accidental deaths (or even suicides) from murders. Jay knows better than any doctor the unique legal needs of the District Attorney for untainted admissible evidence which is the key to criminal convictions. Evidence gathering, preservation, and presentation in court in hundreds of cases has been Jay Ledbetter’s life. Jay has been in the courtroom, on the cutting edge of evidence presentation, for more than thirty years.
The Army didn’t assign a Medic to Jay’s units, so he trained himself in combat medicine. He assembled a medical kit, which he used to serve his unit’s medical needs. Soon, the men began to call him “Doc”. Jay has been the first on the scene of some major catastrophes, and has provided early medical care. Jay understands serious injuries and wounds, and has had people die in his arms. Jay has seen it all.
While in the Army, Jay’s unique mix of talents and training made him the officer of choice for his battalion, when investigations were ordered by Commanders. Consequently, Jay did a large number of military investigations. Jay was always able to ferret-out the truth, and prepare a complete, accurate report.
Jay Ledbetter has continued his Coroner-specific medical education, continuing to attend Colorado Coroner’s Association conferences focused on the medical-legal aspects of death scene investigations. His expertise is enhanced by his continuing education in areas of identification of the deceased; the role of CBI; next of kin notifications; time of death determination; blunt and sharp force trauma; death scene investigation; reporting; gunshot wounds; motor vehicle fatalities, and more. By this fall, Jay will have attended another round of coroner-specific medical-legal-investigative training, bringing him up to a level of training well above that normally found in newly-elected Colorado coroners.
Supplying the missing piece… legal and ethical expertise.
The Coroner’s office has two MDs and other staff members with some medical training. But there is currently not a single staff member who can equal Jay Ledbetter’s expertise in the law of evidence, nor does any have Jay’s prosecution expertise. Jay Ledbetter will add balance to the Coroner’s Office.
Jay Ledbetter not only has been a frequent lecturer on legal ethics, Jay has been instrumental in having dishonest lawyers disciplined for ethical violations. Jay also handles several cases every year involving Attorney Ethics. Jay Ledbetter has handled thousands of civil and criminal cases, and is an expert in the area of Evidence. Jay Ledbetter volunteers each year to be a judge in trial competitions in the Colorado State Mock Trial Championships, as well as with various trial and appellate competitions with the Denver University School of Law.
Jay combines a legal evidence expertise, and legal ethical expertise to supply the essential missing piece to the Coroner’s Office.
