savannah coroner of 40 years exits under suspicion

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FILE - In this June 23, 2005 file photo, Dr. James C. Metts Jr., the Chatham County coroner, poses in front of a portrait of Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski in Savannah, Ga. For 40 years Dr. James C. Metts Jr. served unchallenged as the Savannah area’s county coroner, a job in which he once exhumed the body of a Revolutionary War hero and landed a bit part in the best-selling book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” He coasted to re-election last fall at age 81, then a month later abruptly resigned. Now the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it’s looking into allegations Metts misused taxpayer funds. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton, File)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) -- Even at age 81, Dr. James C. Metts Jr. liked to stay busy. By day, he treated some of Savannah's poorest patients at a downtown medical clinic. By night, or whenever police called, he examined dead bodies as the Chatham County coroner - an elected job that gave Metts a taste of the spotlight in the bestselling book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Metts surprised nobody last fall when he cruised to re-election without opposition, just as he had done since he took office 40 years ago. Barely a month later, the man affectionately known as Dr. Jimmy shocked everyone when he abruptly resigned.

Metts cited only his advancing age and personal reasons for his exit, but it was later revealed that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in after county auditors questioned at least $141,000 in payments for a secretary Metts didn't have and what appeared to be personal expenses for property taxes, auto insurance and cellphone bills. The GBI's findings will go to local prosecutors, who will decide if Metts should face criminal charges.

"We were flabbergasted," said Dr. Julia Mikell, a Savannah neurologist who has known Metts for 32 years. "It's just a lot of money and I was surprised that would be something he would do... He's very close to the police. That's why it's all so stunning."