OU: No Land Was Ever Offered to M.E.'s Office

By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An OU spokesperson is denying a report that the university ever offered land to the State Medical Examiner's Office.

In a statement released Wednesday, OU spokesperson Catherine Bishop said "No offer to donate land has ever been made. The University does not own the land adjacent to the Medical Examiner."

The M.E.'s office has been plagued with a number of problems, one of which is limited space.

However, State Representative Al McAffrey told NEWS 9 a representative from OU told him President David Boren offered OU property near the ME's office last year so it could expanded at its current location.

"And he said, 'No, but we have offered to give land for expansion,'" Rep. McAffrey said.

Expansion at its current location, McAffrey says he got that information from former State Representative Danny Hilliard who now works as OU's Vice-President of Governmental Relations.

"And so I reconfirmed it also, and I said, 'Danny is this correct?' He said, 'Yes, we'll give land, but we're not paying for it,'" McAffrey said.

The M.E.'s office spokesperson said they spoke with Hilliard as well, but were never told of a land offer.

The M.E.'s office told NEWS 9 they had only recently learned there had been some discussions, but no offer was ever made.

"We haven't had that confirmation, so we're trying to get that," Office of the State Medical Examiner Spokesperson Cherokee Ballard said.

Wednesday, OU President Boren also released a statement saying, "I am puzzled because our position has been consistent that we support any decision by the legislature in regard to the ME's office. The university is not advocating one location over another. I have never taken the initiative to involve myself in this issue. If any action is required on the part of the university to implement a legislative decision, of course, we would cooperate and take that action but we are not seeking to influence the legislature's decision."

There had been suggestions that a new office be built in Edmond near the Oklahoma State Bureau Of Investigation. The M.E.'s office says they will accept either if it's a good offer.

"We need a better facility whether it's here or in Edmond and I think a lot of lawmakers realize that, so we're open to anything at this point," Ballard said.

Attempts to contact Hilliard were unsuccessful.