BOISE, Idaho — One day after the unsuccessful execution of Thomas Creech, Josh Tewalt, the Idaho Department of Correction director, defended his team in front of lawmakers during a hearing Thursday.
IDOC stopped the execution of Idaho's longest-serving death row inmate after medical staff could not insert an IV line Wednesday morning. Tewalt said the team tried eight times at eight different spots, including the arms, legs, feet and hands.
"We've been really clear from the beginning. Our goal is to carry this process out with dignity, respect and professionalism," he said. "It's what that process deserves. And to that end, I think, you know, calling it when we did, I think we hit that mark; we just didn't get the intended outcome."
The medical team was confident they could access one of Creech's veins because of a prior physical examination, Tewalt said. However, that exam did not show the quality of those veins.
None of the veins the team found could carry out death by lethal injection without infiltration or other adverse effects that "will and have led to botched executions," he said.
He pushed back on scrutiny over the team's skills, stating people who volunteer feel it is their responsibility to carry out an execution with dignity.
Each person on an Idaho execution team has training in administering IV drips. They must also have at least three years of specific medical experience.
IDOC policy only allows for a peripheral line IV during executions, not a central line, Tewalt said.
"There are lots of ways to establish IV access in the course of an emergency," he said. "We aren't in the practice of Emergency Medicine. It's a very different legal threshold that we have to establish where we are not practicing medicine with the intent to save a life; it is the exact opposite. So, we have very strict safeguards that we adhere to related to the Eighth Amendment."
Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, asked if there was any chance the team did not support executions and could not find a vein for political reasons. Tewalt said no.
Some members of the team participated in the Rhoades and Leavitt executions more than a decade ago, he said.
"It would require a change in politics," Tewalt said. "I don't know how else to respond to that other than, you know, they have my complete trust and confidence, and nobody took yesterday harder than they did."
Christopher Allgood, R-Caldwell, asked if Creech did anything to make the execution more difficult, which Tewalt also denied.
He said prison staff started monitoring Creech 24/7 once the death warrant was signed. Creech behaved normally over the last week; he ate and drank well.
"Any types of countermeasures to purposefully dehydrate or [anything else], it's inconsistent with our experiences," Tewalt said.
Tewalt also addressed questions about a firing squad. Idaho prefers lethal injections for executions. However, a firing squad is legal now because of a law passed last year.
For a firing squad to be an option, lethal injection must not be available or considered unconstitutional. He said it is not an option right now because associations representing architects or engineering firms keep saying no.
"We've run into the same challenges that we've run into in the past related to chemicals and other expertise required for execution by lethal injection," Tewalt said. "They have no interest or willingness to participate in a project that is for the purpose of executions."
It is unclear what is next for Creech. The state would have to ask for a new death warrant since the last one expired because of the unsuccessful execution.
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