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Carrol Meeks, a former EMT for the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service, has had his ambulance attendance license reinstated by the Nevada Health Division.

Meeks' license was revoked May 16, 2007, due to his alleged involvement in the death of Linus Wendler.

Meeks, along with EMT Rodd Fernandes, were dispatched to Wendler's residence in November of last year after the 64-year-old called 911 and reported he was having difficulty breathing.

Upon approaching the residence, Meeks testified at his appeal hearing that he heard a gunshot.

Peeking through a screen door, Meeks also said he saw Wendler had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, showed no signs of life and still had the gun in his hand.

The Nye County Sheriff's Office issued a press release after the incident that alleged Meeks and Fernandes initially refused to administer aid to Wendler and only did so after receiving several orders from deputies to do so.

Wendler was ultimately transported to the hospital where he died approximately 16 minutes later.

Meeks and Fernandes were arrested six days later and booked on charges of criminal neglect of a patient and exploiting older persons.

Both EMTs were fired by the town and had their licenses revoked, but neither has been formally charged by the county.

Prior to the suspension, Meeks had worked as an EMT for 32 years and had never been disciplined for professional misconduct.

Meeks and Fernandes did not enter the trailer after hearing the gunshot and observing Wendler's body through the screen door, the order of reinstatement said.

Instead, Meeks called dispatch and said that Wendler had "capped" himself and the gun was secure.

The order also said Meeks told the dispatcher that he and Fernandes "were not gonna be digging around in there" to which the dispatcher responded "We don't expect you to do that."

The emergency responders then waited outside the residence for sheriff's office personnel to arrive.

Meeks testified at the hearing that he looked through the screen door a second time prior to sheriff's office Det. David Boruchowitz arriving and once again did not observe any signs of life, the order stated. Fergus Laughridge, emergency medical services program manager, investigated the incident and based the suspension on Meeks' actions prior the arrival of sheriff's office deputies.

Laughridge testified Meeks was unprofessional by telling the dispatcher Wendler was dead, failing to assess Wendler despite telling dispatch the weapon was secure, and Meeks' actions allegedly delaying the deputies' response.

"Meeks' determination that the scene with a gun in Mr. Wendler's hand was unsafe was reasonable," the order states. "If Mr. Wendler had been conscious, he could have used the handgun to shoot one of the EMTs. If he was unconscious, the gun could have discharged as a result of a muscle spasm."

A written brief submitted by Meeks' attorney, Michael Root, stated, "Deputy Boruchowitz testified at trial that he did not recall receiving a report from dispatch of suicide, so based on his testimony his 'response time' could not be affected."

In addition, the brief asserts that during the course of his investigation, Laughridge did not write down conversations with people he called, write a written report, and was unaware that Meeks was not even working as an EMT when his license was suspended.

Instead, the brief alleges that Laughridge based the suspension in part on "alleged 'unprofessional misconduct' based, in part, on newspaper articles generated."

The brief states Boruchowitz pronounced Wendler dead approximately eight minutes after arriving on the scene.

While Boruchowitz was securing the scene with Fernandes inside the trailer, Meeks was outside giving a statement to another deputy.

Boruchowitz testified that he and Fernandes both saw Wendler's chest moving and "agonal respiration," or one or two shallow breaths a minute.

Meeks was called into the trailer and confirmed there was a pulse, so approximately 18 minutes after Boruchowitz had pronounced Wendler dead, the deputy informed dispatch Wendler was showing signs of life.

Although the sheriff's office alleged that the EMTs refused to transport Wendler, the state health officer found otherwise.

"Detective Boruchowitz testified that he had made several requests before Meeks began to provide treatment to Mr. Wendler, although there was no mention of this in the Detective's official report submitted as evidence," the order states. "Meeks disputed this account at the hearing, and testified that once he observed signs of life, he began to provide treatment."

Ultimately, "the Hearing Officer finds that the Health Division has not shown that Meeks refused to provide treatment to Mr. Wendler after signs of life were observed."

Besides that, as Laughridge himself testified, any alleged refusal to transport was not the basis for Meeks' suspension.