KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — A former chief deputy coroner in southern Idaho is suing the Blaine County government, claiming he was fired in retaliation to whistleblowing. The Idaho Mountain Express reports Landon Neet filed the lawsuit last week, and claims he was fired after alerting officials that Blaine County Coroner Russell Mikel was using him for work at his private business at the taxpayers' expense. County Commissioner Larry Schoen says officials decided in the budgeting process to discontinue the chief deputy coroner position, and it was not done in retaliation. Schoen says Mikel owns a funeral home in Hailey where the coroner's office has been based for decades. Mikel says he had not seen the lawsuit and did not have a comment for the newspaper on Tuesday.

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