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<p>Luzerne County has advertised a coroner position vacated by the sudden resignation of Daniel J. Hughes this week.</p><p>Hughes resigned Tuesday, effective that day, citing the &#8220;hostile and unprofessional work environment&#8221; under county Judicial Services and Records Division Head Joan Hoggarth. Hoggarth has declined comment on the matter.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri had selected Hughes six months ago to replace retired coroner William Lisman.</p><p>At that time, the position had been advertised at a salary range of $48,000 to $52,000, and six applied. Hughes was hired at $51,000.</p><p>The new posting lists a salary range of $55,000 to $65,000, with applications due Oct. 10.</p><p>The job requirements and requested experience mirror those in the last posting.</p><p>Coroner duties include investigating and ruling on the manner of death when the deceased are not under medical care, the physician is unable to certify the cause or the death is due to unnatural causes or violence. The coroner also approves all county cremations and organ donations and handles the identification and proper disposal of unclaimed bodies, it said.</p><p>While any equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered, the county is seeking applicants with a bachelor&#8217;s degree and at least five years of experience in a coroner&#8217;s office or working in death investigations conducted by law enforcement.</p><p>Applicants also must be on call 24-7 and should have specialized training in investigative procedures, court testimony experience in death investigations and hearings and be physically able to help recover and transport bodies weighing 100 pounds or more, the posting says.</p><p>While past coroners here have been funeral directors and medical professionals, other counties have had coroners with law enforcement backgrounds. The coroner was an elected post in the county before the 2012 switch to a home rule structure made it an appointed one.</p><p>In his resignation letter, Hughes said Hoggarth did not not support his hiring and provided no positive review in his recent performance evaluation. His letter also said his concerns about overtime pay for a staffer and possible &#8220;inappropriate spending&#8221; from a state fund account were reported but not addressed.</p><p>The county administration has declined to discuss the issues raised in Hughes&#8217; resignation letter, citing personnel confidentiality. Hughes could not be reached for comment Thursday.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Courthouse </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_luzcocourthouse01-11.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Courthouse </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County posts solicitation seeking new coroner