Oklahoma M.E.'s Offices Locked Down

Staff and Wire Reports

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma state medical examiner's offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa were locked down after an employee made a threat.

Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said Friday that Rob Deaton, the office's interim chief medical investigator, made a threat, including a comment about a gun.

According to an Oklahoma City police report, Deaton made a statement to several employees during lunch about "how he could just kill someone and go to prison and get free health care."

Read the Oklahoma City Police Report

The report also stated that Deaton said "he would come through the office and shoot it up" and that "the people at the table he was eating with were OK, but he would start in the Tulsa office."

Deaton has been suspended and termination proceedings have been initiated.

Both offices were locked down Thursday afternoon after word of the threat spread. The lock down continued Friday.

Ballard said the lock down means only one entrance to each of the offices will be open. Ordinarily, employees can come through alternative doors with a key card.

Ballard said Timothy Dwyer has been named the new, permanent chief investigator. Dwyer was an investigator with the M.E.'s office and has been there since 2002.