Dock Talk: Washburn County Coroner, Angie Pank

SPOONER, Wis. -- For our 6th 'Dock Talk' segment, we sat down with Spooner Police Foundation President, full-time Nurse, and Washburn County Coroner, Angie Pank for a cup of joe and a quick chat at The Dock Coffee in downtown Spooner.  

DrydenWire: What kind of coffee are you drinking today?

The Dock Blend [The Dock Blend is a medium roast, three-bean blend; Guatemalan, Sumatra, and Costa Rican] 

DrydenWire: Is coffee a regular part of your day?

For sure! I set my coffee pot every night to brew at 6! Then I make another pot when I get to work.

DrydenWire: So I've seen what coroners do on tv shows, would you say the way they are portrayed on TV is accurate?

Not quite! Our job is to determine the Cause and Manner of Death. We do this by investigating (asking questions), drawing blood, obtaining previous medical records, and sometimes arranging for an autopsy. There is also a lot of paperwork involved, the part on TV that they never show!

DrydenWire: It's an elected position, correct?

That is correct. Jason Sebens resigned in May 2016, Sarah McCumber was stand in until I was appointed by Governor Walker in August 2016.

DrydenWire: How was it that you were appointed by the Gov?

I was hired in Burnett County as a deputy medical examiner in 2009, became Chief deputy medical examiner in 2012 and just resigned this year. I was a deputy coroner in Washburn under Jason in 2015 & 2016 until I applied to become the Coroner.

DrydenWire: What's the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner?

Basically, a medical examiner is appointed by the county board and a coroner is voted in by the community.

DrydenWire: So is this a full-time gig? 

No, but I would say I do some type of coroner work every day, even if it’s just a few minutes. My full-time gig is as a Registered Nurse at Indianhead Medical Center in Shell Lake. I have worked there for 17 years.

DrydenWire: What drew you into the nursing field?

I always knew that I wanted to help people. I started as a certified nursing assistant in Fond du Lac, WI. I enjoyed the work but wanted to further my education. I moved back home to Spooner and obtained my Associate degree nursing and then eventually my bachelor's degree nursing.

DrydenWire: Between being the coroner and full-time nurse, you must not have any hobbies.

Haha, well actually I do! I am married and have four children. We like to camp, fish and swim. I am involved in many committees in Washburn County but have the whole family involved in the Spooner Police Foundation of which I am President.

DrydenWire: I follow the Spooner Police Foundation on Facebook, it seems like the Foundation is always doing something – when did this start and how is it structured?

It started in January 2017. We have a President (me), Vice President (Jamie Lynch), and Secretary/Accountant (Missy Wienbergen) along with 10 community members. 

DrydenWire: What was the reason for starting this?

The reason for starting the foundation was to separate donated and fund-raised money from budgetary. One of our main goals is to strengthen the bond between the community and the Spooner Police Department. We assist the Spooner Police Department with fundraising efforts. The monies assist in canine costs and other community events.

DrydenWire: And what has the Foundation done to achieve that goal so far this year?

So far we have held the 5k foot pursuit and K9 Bleu’s challenge. Foundation members and Officer Kronberger had a table at the family fest and taught bike safety, along with a free give away of a boy’s and girl’s bike. We developed a raffle and sold tickets and K9 shirts during the Rodeo. We also had a Spoontopia float in the rodeo parade which was a lot of fun.

DrydenWire: What is the Foundation working on now?

We are currently working on the upcoming fair. We will have a dunk tank available where you can dunk an officer if you have a good arm! Every year the Chief develops a calender called The Spooner Project. This is developed from donations from local businesses that provide ad spaces in the calender. The donations then go into the Spooner Police Foundation fund to assist with other community projects. The calenders are then distributed throughout the community free of charge.

Coffee with Cops is an ongoing initiative.

DrydenWire: Any internal discussion about the Foundations 2018 plans?

We have a few topics in discussion right now. One is possibly adding a 10k to our 5k foot pursuit and developing a website to sell our K9 shirts and police foundation attire.

DrydenWire: If someone wanted more info or wanted to contribute in some way, how would they go about doing that? Can someone/anyone become a member?

Anyone can be a member and we are always looking for community support. If you would like to join, you can contact us on our Facebook page or call the Spooner Police Department at 715-635-3527.

DrydenWire: What are 3 things that most people probably don't know about you?

• Before I became a nurse, I attended college in Eau Claire to become a Paralegal.
• I don’t like snakes.
• I enjoy being involved in the community and am a member of 5 other committees in Washburn County.

The 'Dock Talk' is an every-other-Tuesday segment where we chat with a member of our community in a Q-and-A format over a cup of coffee at our favorite coffeehouse, The Dock Coffee.