By AP/KWMU
St. Louis – The surgeon at the center of a debate over Missouri's execution procedures broke his silence Monday.
In his first public interview, Dr. Alan Doerhoff of Jefferson City tells The Associated Press that he is proud of his years of service assisting dozens of state executions.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday that Doerhoff has been sued for malpractice and was reprimanded by the state in 2003 for failing to disclose malpractice suits to a hospital where he worked.
The doctor says such suits are common, and that the failure to disclose was an office manager's error. He testified in June before a federal judge that he is dyslexic and makes mistakes, a claim he now denies.
That judge has since halted Missouri executions, ordering the state to come up with new procedures and enlisting an anesthesiologist to assist.