Days after he was the subject of an investigative report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia’s chief medical examiner has abruptly retired.
Dr. Kris Sperry was “acutely embarrassed” by revelations in the AJC story that he had conducted private business as a forensic consultant while on state time, said his boss, Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI deducted $20,000 worth of time from Sperry’s accrued vacation and other leave time to compensate the state for more than 250 hours he inaccurately claimed to be working in his state job over the past four years.
Keenan said he has turned over documents to the attorney general’s office for further review.
Filing false time sheets by a state employee is a crime, with a penalty of one to five years in prison. Keenan has said he thought Sperry’s discrepancies resulted from sloppy record keeping.
Sperry’s retirement takes effect Nov. 1, but Thursday was his last day at the medical examiner’s office. He has been the state’s chief medical examiner since 1997.
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