Mississippi County receives grant for new cooler

Through grant funding, the Arkansas State Crime Lab has provided Mississippi County with a cooler designed to preserve evidence in cases, including homicides.

Arkansas State Crime Lab executive director Kermit Channell was in Osceola on Wednesday to see the new cooler that is being housed at South Mississippi County Regional Medical Center.

Channell noted the state crime lab was awarded a grant for the coolers and surveyed coroners around the state to determine who has refrigeration, a secure storage area and the most need.

Mississippi County received one of the nine coolers from the grant funding.

“We do get a lot of cases from this area, so this is an appropriate place to put one,” Channell said. “The big thing that is important with this cooler is now it is in a secure, temperature controlled environment so any case that comes to the crime laboratory — could be a homicide — the coroner has a secure place to put it until we have personnel come get that case and bring it to Little Rock. It’s extremely important. The other thing from the forensic science perspective is it helps us retain any evidence that’s on that body. We preserve it where we can analyze it appropriately back in our laboratory. It’s a big step. This is really great, the relationship the hospital has here with the coroner to assist that. (Coroner) Mike (Godsey) does a great job and is one of the reasons it is here.”

Godsey appreciates the new equipment.

“This was a great opportunity,” Godsey said. “We really needed this, but we didn’t have the funds for it. This is going to help us out immensely taking care of the deceased.”

The coolers typically cost $7,500.