YPD’s investigation alleges Curtice admitted to stealing drugs off of dead bodies in his office, taking the drugs at work and faking evidence to pass the story off as an attempted poisoning.
Police began the investigation August 27, after the coroner got sick and passed out after drinking from his energy drink. Curtice told police the drink “tasted odd,” then called his wife to take him from his office to the hospital.
The YPD report says the hospitals test results told Curtice he tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. According to the investigation, Curtice tested his pre-workout mix and a water pot. The coroner said the pre-workout tested positive for fentanyl and the pot was positive for fentanyl and cocaine.
Curtice became suspicious that someone was trying to poison him.
YPD escalated the case to the regional FBI office for a joint investigation, fearing for federal crimes. A drug K9 search of the coroner’s office turned up a fentanyl pill in a desk drawer and a blender used to crush up drugs before disposal, according to the report.
A police narrative also reports a “small amount of white powder” behind Curtice’s desk, which was taken as evidence.
On August 29, Curtice was called in to recount the day of the alleged poisoning. The coroner told police his normal routine, including picking up two energy drinks on his way to work before going in for an autopsy.
Curtice told police it was between 1:30 and 2 p.m. he opened his energy drink and noticed an “acidic taste” causing his mouth to feel “tingly numb.”
In this telling of the events, the coroner told investigators, the ambulance took him to the hospital, different than his previously reporting of his wife driving him. 911 records confirmed the call for help, according to the police report.
Then, Curtice told police his toxicology reports showed cocaine in his system, but not fentanyl as he told before. The investigation report says the hospital cannot test for fentanyl.
In the joint investigation, Curtice told officials he had two suspicions of what led to his hospital visit.
“The first is that he has made someone in the drug world mad and they have access into his office somehow,” reads Lt. Janis’ narrative. “Curtice indicated that it does not really make any sense.”
According to the report, the coroner’s second theory was a ploy to get him out of office.
“He believes the drugs were planted in his office by someone who has something to gain,” reads the investigation. “He stated that the cocaine may cause him to have a reaction that police would have to be involved in and then the media would find out.”
Though he had no evidence to support the claim, the investigation said Curtice named another employee in his office as the only one who would have something to gain and had access to his office.
The report says at the end of questioning, Curtice offered himself to take a polygraph test to eliminate himself from the suspect pool.
On September 12, the lie detector test was set up for Coroner Curtice. The investigation says there were “signs of deception” in the reading.
The police report says Curtice stood by his story first, before suggesting “he had been having dreamlike memories of using drugs.”
Lt. Janis’ report says police explained the plausibility of that scenario, before Curtice confessed to the story he had been hiding.
According to the investigation, Curtice admitted to taking drugs off of dead bodies in his office and had been using those drugs at work for “the last couple months.”
Curtice admitted in the report to using the drugs at work around three times a week. He claimed he would snort them off his arm then fall asleep in his office.
Multiple coworkers interviewed in the investigation confirmed Curtice was known to sleep at work a lot, even making mistakes on his homicide reports in the previous months.
The investigation also says Curtice doctored the evidence turned into police, mixing the narcotics in for a positive result. The report says Curtice didn’t know which drugs were being taken, but assumed cocaine or fentanyl and he didn’t have any other drugs hidden.
Curtice told investigators there was no threat to his life and apologized to police and his coworkers for the situation, according to the investigation.
“When asked why, Curtice said he wanted to know how it felt,” reads the police report.
A September 16 press release from YPD says the investigation will be taken over by a third party:
“An investigation was conducted, which resulted in a recommendation for criminal charges to be filed against Mr. Curtice once evidence was substantiated that did not corroborate the original allegation. Due to a conflict of interest that exists in this investigation, with the potential filing of charges here in the City of Yakima and Yakima County, the case has been turned over to the City of Ellensburg Prosecutor’s Office for their evaluation of the evidence and a possible charging decision.”
The investigation report says a Kittitas County Superior Court Judge signed off on search warrants on September 13. YPD recommending charges of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, official conduct and tampering with physical evidence.
NonStop Local has reached out to Jim Curtice and the Ellensburg Prosecutor’s Office for comment but have not heard back yet.
