Delaware names new Chief Medical Examiner

A deputy in the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office is taking over as Delaware's Chief Medical Examiner.

Dr. Gary L. Collins has been second in command as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in the Philadelphia office for two years, said Lewis D. Schiliro, secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

“He is sure to provide a fresh perspective to the position and will help us reinvigorate this new Division of Forensic Science,” Schiliro said.

Collins takes over as Chief Medical Examiner following the state's dismissal of Richard Callery in July. Callery was placed on paid leave from his $198,000-a-year job as Chief Medical Examiner in February about a month after police discovered tampering of drug evidence sent to the office for testing.

Further investigation uncovered glaring misuse of drug evidence by employees. This included drugs dropped and left on the floor, and in one instance, a marijuana plant left under a public stairwell to dry, according to a June 19 report.

State prosecutors said 146 pending cases could be affected by drug tampering, and 75 defendants had been notified. Public defenders and defense attorneys estimate the number is much higher - possibly 8,000 drug convictions made between 2010 and 2014, dates when officials know for sure some drug evidence sent to the lab for testing went missing or was replaced by something else. Pending cases have been handled on a case-by-case basis with judges in all three counties dismissing many.

Officials said Callery was often absent from his job in Delaware because of expert testimony work he provided in New England. To date, two men who worked in the office have been indicted. Laboratory Manager Farnam Daneshgar has been suspended without pay after a grand jury indictment May 27 for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and falsifying business records. James Woodson, a forensic evidence specialist hired in 2010 who was promoted to forensic investigator in 2013 and also was a courier for drug evidence, was indicted on one count each of trafficking cocaine, theft of a controlled substance (cocaine), official misconduct, and tampering with evidence. Woodson is accused of removing cocaine from an evidence bag at the controlled substances lab, said Attorney General Beau Biden.

State legislators overwhelmingly approved a Division of Forensic Science to replace the beleaguered Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law in June, moving the office out of the purview of the Department of Health and Human Services and into the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

“Working to get the new Division of Forensic Science fully operational is a top priority,” Markell said. “Because Dr. Collins has worked extensively in the field of forensic science, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our state at a time when it is needed most. He stands ready to help us meet the challenges ahead as the division moves forward with its transition.”

Including his past two years as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Collins worked for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office for more than seven years. He graduated from the University of West Indies and completed his pathology residency at the University of South Florida. He completed his forensic pathology residency at Drexel University College of Medicine. Collins is board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and forensic pathology.

Collins is scheduled to begin work Monday, Oct. 20. His salary is $239,000.