Examiner: Cause of Thomas’ death is uncertain

By KENNETH HART
The Independent

IRONTON May 07, 2008 11:15 pm

— The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Guy Cameron Thomas, the Ironton man whose body was dragged 10 blocks underneath a police cruiser, was unable to reach a definitive conclusion on the cause of Thomas’ death.
Franklin County Deputy Coroner Dr. Rajesh P. Kannan also could not determine whether the 46-year-old Thomas was alive or dead when the cruiser, driven by officer Richard Fouts, made contact with him.
In Thomas’ autopsy report, released Wednesday by the office of Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr., Kannan suggested Thomas might have died of alcohol poisoning, or, at least, the amount of alcohol he had consumed prior to the accident contributed to his death.
Blood tests performed on Thomas showed his blood-alcohol level at the time of the March 8 incident was .33, which Kannan termed “a toxic to lethal concentration.” It is also more than four times the level at which a person is considered legally intoxicated in most states.
According to the Web site healthstatus.com, a man of Thomas’ weight — 135 pounds — would have to consume the equivalent of 10 shots of whiskey in the span of an hour to have a blood-alcohol level of .33.
Thomas also had a bleeding injury to his tongue, which Kannan said was consistent with a history of seizures. Hypothermia also may have been a contributing factor in Thomas’ death, the pathologist wrote.
Thomas’ body had numerous injuries, including rib and vertebrae fractures, superficial burns and abrasions, according to the report. Some are believed to have occurred prior to Thomas’ death, while the others were postmortem, Kannan wrote.
A Lawrence County grand jury heard evidence in Thomas’ death on Monday but chose to not indict Fouts, meaning the former officer will not face criminal charges in the incident.
Investigators had earlier determined Thomas was probably lying in the roadway when Fouts’ cruiser made contact with his body at a dimly lit intersection on Ninth Street, a short distance from both Fouts’ and Thomas’ homes.
Thomas’ body had no injuries consistent with him being hit by a car. Also, investigators found no damage to Fouts’ cruiser, and the snow, icicles and road grime on the underside of the vehicle’s front bumper had not been disturbed.
Thomas’ body was found under Fouts’ vehicle after he pulled into the parking lot of the Ironton police station. Many have questioned how the officer could have driven the 10-block distance without knowing the body was under his car.
According to Collier, Fouts told the grand jury he didn’t believe his car was handling properly, but said he thought it was because the streets were snow- and ice-covered at the time.
Fouts was placed on administrative leave following the incident and subsequently quit the police force.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.