McCown now a full-time Anderson County coroner

April 03--Deputy Coroner Don McCown had turned in his notice and was planning to leave Anderson County for Greenville. But the Anderson County Council agreed this week to make his job a full-time one, hoping that would entice him to stay.

It worked.

McCown, 55, has been in Anderson County for more than two decades. Until last Friday, he worked full time at Medshore Ambulance Service, a company owned by Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore. For the last 14 years, McCown has worked part time as deputy coroner under Shore, rotating shifts on an on-call basis. But he retired from Medshore last week and there was no money in Anderson County's budget for a second full-time coroner.

McCown was bound for the neighboring county.

His name had already been put on a door at the Greenville County Coroner's Office, although it was misspelled.

But an eleventh-hour vote changed McCown's course.

The Anderson County Council voted unanimously this week to make McCown's deputy coroner position a full-time one. That amounts to a pay increase of $22,986, making his annual salary in the role about $40,000, according to county finance manager Rita Davis. He will also be provided health insurance.

"I love Anderson County and I didn't really want to leave it,"McCown said Wednesday. "I really appreciate everybody's confidence in me, and I'm happy to finish out my career in a place that I love."

McCown specializes in investigating the deaths of children, and is known for his meticulous notes.

"He's a tremendously thorough investigator," Shore said. "We're very fortunate to have him. I would have hated to lose him."

McCown is often at the center of some of the county's most difficult investigations of fatal child abuse.

In August 2010, McCown was called to AnMed Health Medical Center's emergency room because a 17-month-old girl was so severely injured that doctors believed she had only hours to live. Investigators say the baby girl had been stomped in the face and burned.

The little girl survived the injuries and, nearly four years later, is still receiving therapy.

The girl's mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of child neglect.

In his new full-time position, McCown will also oversee burials of the county's poorest residents, those whose families cannot afford to deal with their remains.

"I'm really grateful for the faith the people in this county have placed in me," he said. "I take that seriously, and I appreciate it."

Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo

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