OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) -- A high-ranking police officer denies he was drunk during an investigation into the faith-healing death of a 15-month-old girl.

Statements by eleven witnesses released in court Friday said Clackamas County sheriff's Captain Bruce Pearson staggered, slurred his words and reeked of alcohol when he arrived at the March 2nd investigation into the child's death.

Pearson denied in an interview that he was drunk, instead blaming his appearance on multiple medical conditions.

The 19-year sheriff's office veteran told The Oregonian newspaper that he suffers from diabetes and that his body secretes a form of alcohol through his pores.

He blamed his unsteady gait and distorted speech on Sonata, a prescription sleep aid he took that night for the first -- and only -- time.

The manslaughter trial of Carl and Raylene Worthington is set for January 26. Their daughter, Ava, died of a bronchial infection that doctors say could have been treated effectively with antibiotics.