Lehigh’s coroner Scott Grim to retire
After 22 years on the job, his decision to leave Feb. 28 was ‘bittersweet moment.’
Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim announced Thursday he's retiring after a career that spanned more than two decades investigating some of the region's most gruesome accidents and murders as well as the slow and steady rise in drug overdoses and suicides.
Grim's last day will be Feb. 28, according to a letter from Grim to Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong.
He said he plans to share details about his next job in the coming days.
At the center of some of Lehigh Valley's most infamous cases, Grim has said that investigating deaths and bringing answers to grieving families is both rewarding and challenging work.
"It's a bittersweet moment for me,” he said.
Some of the cases that Grim said affected him deeply included the gas explosion in Allentown that killed five people and the Sept. 29 car explosion in Allentown that authorities say was triggered by a man who killed himself, his toddler son and an acquaintance.
Another case Grim said stayed with him was the 1999 deaths of three family members in Emmaus: Ashly Duch, 9, Autumn Victory Duch, 2, and their grandmother June Arlene Andresen at the hands of the girls' father, Matthew David Duch.
“The memories, good, bad, happy and sad, will be with me until the very end. I may be leaving the office but I'll be around,” Grim wrote in his retirement letter.
Lehigh commissioners will appoint an interim coroner in the spring, until a replacement is elected.
Commissioner Brad Osborne said he's looking for someone who's compassionate and caring, like Grim.
He grieved and comforted families who lost loved ones, Osborne said.
“To me, that's what stood out with Scott Grim,” Osborne said. “He really, truly cared.”
Grim earned the respect of county officials because of his dedication to the job.
“If he was in town, he was at a homicide scene,” said Jim Martin, Lehigh County's district attorney.
He was eager to learn more, attended courses that improved his expertise, and offered his staff the same opportunities.
News of his retirement was difficult for some of his staff, who looked up to him, said Andrew Kehm, Lehigh County's chief deputy coroner.
In his 22 years as the county coroner, Grim elevated the reputation of the office, brought in more resources and training for staff, and built stronger relationships with police and other public agencies, Kehm said.
“I'm happy for him,” he said. “But I wish he was running again. I don't want to see him go.”
His disciplined work ethic, getting in early in the morning and working from home at night, inspired his staff, Kehm said.
“Scott's heart is completely all in. He's always been that way,” he said.
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