Three candidates advance in process to select new Bonneville County Coroner
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IDAHO FALLS — A former detective, deputy coroner and emergency room nurse were selected as finalists to become the new Bonneville County Coroner on Tuesday by the Bonneville County GOP Central Committee, after current coroner Rick Taylor announced his intention in November to step down from the position.
Taylor served for 11 years as coroner. His resignation is effective Dec. 28.
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The committee recommended retired Idaho Falls Police Department Detective Jeff Pratt, Bingham County Deputy Coroner Shante Sanchez-Hoover and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center ER Nurse Erynn Morris as the best three candidates for the position during a public meeting and interviews at the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office annex Tuesday evening.
Bonneville County Commissioners Roger Christensen, Jon Walker and Bryon Reed will interview the three finalists on Dec. 9. and tentatively intend to announce their decision that day.
Four other applicants also applied for the position – including Buck-Murphy Mortuary Mortician Conner Whitwell, Cardiac Catheterization Lab Nurse Randy Davis, former Bonneville County Commissioner Candidate Alan Steel, and former Bonneville County Joint School District #93 Trustee Kip Nelson.
The candidates submitted resumes, letters of interest and candidate questionnaires to the Bonneville GOP Central Committee prior to the meeting.
Because the office of coroner is a partisan position in Idaho, 33 elected Bonneville County GOP precinct committee officers (PCOs) voted to determine their top three recommendations for the position, in accordance with Idaho GOP rules and bylaws.
For 30 minutes, each of the candidates answered questions directly from the precinct committee officers about their experience, qualifications, approach and empathy for the job.
Meet the finalists
Jeff Pratt
Pratt has lived in Idaho Falls for more than 64 years, worked with three Bonneville County coroners and retired from the Idaho Falls Police Department last December.
“I’ve been a police officer and a crime scene investigator as well as a death investigator for the majority of my career,” Pratt said. “I have investigated hundreds of death cases of every nature over these past 43 years.”
He said he “created the original Idaho Falls Police Forensic Laboratory, staffing it and populated it with equipment.”
He also helped design the new police station’s lab forensic facility.
“I have a lot of training and expertise, skill set in the investigation and determination on death,” he said. “It’s been my main focus and job for more than 30 years.”
Shante Sanchez-Hoover
As Bingham County Deputy Coroner, Sanchez-Hoover said, “I have currently been working with one of the only counties in Idaho that actually adhered to standards set forth by the National Institute for Justice and the National Association for Medical Examiners. I have done a full scope of investigation – everything from stillborn and infant deaths to hospital deaths; hospice deaths; unattended, natural deaths; motor vehicle accidents and drug overdoses.”
She said at every scene, she performs a full body exam; scene investigation; coordinates with law enforcement and Emergency Medical Services; and interviews loved ones, next of kin and witnesses on site.
“I also coordinate with other experts in the field, such as pathologists, anthropologists, fellow coroners (and) physicians before I determine manner of death, cause of death, and whether or not I should pursue toxicology or autopsy,” Sanchez-Hoover said.
Erynn Morris
Morris has worked as an Emergency Room nurse at EIRMC for the past four years.
“I deal with critical cases all the time, child abuse cases (and) unfortunately, sexual assault cases,” she said.
She has eight ER certifications — including pediatric trauma and adult trauma, specializes in burns at the ER Burn Center and assists with the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Center.
Morris worked previously with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, interpreting medical records and helping log and collect evidence for child abuse, sexual assaults, murders and suicides.
She has also volunteered with the Bonneville County Coroner’s Office since July where she has assisted Taylor and Bonneville County Chief Deputy Coroner Greg Black in cases of infant death and suicide.
“I’ve gone to funeral homes with them, where I’ve helped them draw blood. I’ve helped them do swabs (and) prep the bodies for transport over to Ada County,” Morris said.
Bonneville County GOP Chairman Michael Colson thanked the applicants and the precinct committee officers for participating in the process.
“It takes a lot to be able to put yourself out in a public setting and be asked a lot of uncomfortable questions,” Colson said. “It’s not always easy running for an elected office, let alone an appointed one.”
