Florence County Coroner won’t run for re-election

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews says he will retire next year after 20 years of investigating deaths in South Carolina’s 10th most populous county.

Matthews said he will serve out the rest of his term, but won’t run for re-election in 2012. The 62-year-old coroner says he wanted to clear the way so others could plan a run for the office.

Matthews says the grind of being called at all hours to investigate suspicious deaths was starting to wear him down. He says he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren.

Matthews spent two years in the Army and worked as a Florence County deputy before he was elected coroner in 1992.