Background Check Reveals Concerns Over Would-Be Chief Medical Examiner

NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There are concerns about the man tapped to be Oklahoma's new Chief Medical Examiner.

The State Medicolegal Board learned Dr. Philip Keen once carried a woman's body for about 100 miles in the back of his own personal pick-up truck. Keen said he did so because having the woman's body examined was urgent.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is currently doing Keen's background check which he must pass before he is allowed to take the job.

Keen is the retired, former Chief Medical Examiner in Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked from 1992 to 2006.

"This is a more extensive background check, which I believe he had to authorize them coming to his home state," said State Medical Examiner's Office spokesperson Cherokee Ballard.

The search for a Chief Medical Examiner could be restarted if the board is not satisfied with Keen's background.

More: Dr. Philip Keen Accepts Chief Medical Examiner Position Offer