| Current Poll |
Are you keeping your New Year's resolutions?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Eldridge new coroner
- 2013 - 334 articles
- 2012 - 1160 articles
- 2011 - 1177 articles
- 2010 - 810 articles
- 2009 - 779 articles
- 2008 - 949 articles
- December 2008 - 88 articles
- November 2008 - 73 articles
- October 2008 - 71 articles
- September 2008 - 91 articles
- August 2008 - 98 articles
- July 2008 - 98 articles
- June 2008 - 60 articles
- May 2008 - 66 articles
- April 2008 - 108 articles
- April 29th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 16 articles
- April 23rd, 2008 (Wednesday) - 1 articles
- April 22nd, 2008 (Tuesday) - 21 articles
- April 18th, 2008 (Friday) - 1 articles
- April 17th, 2008 (Thursday) - 1 articles
- April 16th, 2008 (Wednesday) - 18 articles
- April 15th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 5 articles
- April 8th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 25 articles
- April 2nd, 2008 (Wednesday) - 12 articles
- April 1st, 2008 (Tuesday) - 8 articles
- March 2008 - 70 articles
- February 2008 - 48 articles
- January 2008 - 78 articles
|
Eldridge new coroner
Dr. Joel Eldridge has taken office as Franklin Parish's new coroner; Clerk of Court Ann Johnson swore him in on March 17.
Eldridge was unopposed in the fall 2007 election, taking over the position from Dr. Charles Reed, who was coroner for many years.
"Dr. Reed called and told me he had decided to step down and asked if I was interested," Eldridge said. "I'm from here and I wanted to do something to give back to the community."
Eldridge is a native of Crowville – where he lives now – and graduated from Crowville High School in 1979. His parents were the late J.L. Eldridge and the late Audrey Eldridge Fox.
He obtained a bachelor's of science degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, formerly Northeast Louisiana University, and when on to receive his doctor of osteopathy from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo. Eldridge is also an EMT.
Eldridge moved home to Franklin Parish in 1991 and was in private practice for five years. He is currently an emergency room physician at Franklin Medical Center.
As coroner, Eldridge is responsible for determining the cause of death for all accidental deaths in the parish or deaths which occur outside of a hospital.
"The coroner is the health officer for the parish," Eldridge. "Actually it is the second highest position in the parish. If the sheriff becomes ill or dies in office, the coroner assumes the role of sheriff until an election can be held."
Noting that the coroner's position in small rural parishes is different from those of larger parishes, Eldridge said there is no coroner's facility or staff.
"We don't have an office or anything like CSI," Eldridge said. "Any forensic investigations or autopsies are sent to Little Rock."
The coroner is paid by the state on a per-case basis, and is not funded by Franklin Parish.
"It's not a high-paying job or one that is glamorous, but it is one that must be done and I want to serve the people of the parish," Eldridge said.
"I'd like to thank Dr. Reed and his staff for his many years of service. He's going to help me during the transition and will be on-call if I am out of town," Eldridge said. |
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
