By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
KINGSVILLE TOWNSHIP — Serious allegations regarding the Kingsville Township fire department’s handling of medicines are unfounded, allowing Kingsville Township to reinstate its assistant chief of emergency medical services.
Angie Cliff, placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 13, was returned to her job during a special trustee meeting Monday night. Members took the action after deciding charges leveled at her were baseless, said Trustee Dennis Huey.
Fire Chief Chip Laugen remains on paid administrative leave until allegations leveled at him a few months ago are investigated fully. A formal hearing on Laugen’s case, initially scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been postponed at the request of Laugen’s attorney, Huey said.
Authorities who examined records relevant to the case all agreed no wrongdoing was committed by Cliff, Huey said. One of the experts shared his opinions at the start of the meeting.
George Pavlich, an Ohio State Board of Pharmacy agent, said charges of falsification of documents and theft of drugs had no merit.
“I see no theft of drugs,” he said flatly. “There is no basis for that report.”
The falsification charged stemmed from a report that contained different types of handwriting, Pavlich said. While it was apparent different people worked on the report, what matters most is the report details the actions of the paramedic involved, he said.
Someone else is allowed to write out the narrative, as long as the information paints an accurate picture of the paramedic’s action on the call, Pavlich said. He compared it to a doctor dictating his notes to a transcriptionist.
“(The falsification allegation) is not true in my opinion,” Pavlich said.
He did find some shortcomings involving security and accountability pertaining to medical records.
