An in-debt Georgia funeral dwelling director was arrested when 18 decomposing our bodies have been present in his facility as cops have been evicting him, in keeping with a brand new report.
Chris Lee Johnson, 39, the proprietor of the Johnson Funeral and Cremation Providers, was being kicked out final week when Espresso County deputies found the our bodies rotting within the Douglas funeral dwelling, together with the corpses of “multiple little one.”
Within the months main as much as his eviction, new court docket paperwork reveal Johnson had $9,000 in unpaid lease that he rushed to pay in Might earlier than he was set to get booted, solely to fail to pay lease the next two months, the Atlanta Journal-Structure reported.
That first eviction discover was despatched out on Might 20, only a day earlier than Johnson misplaced the Republican major in his bid to grow to be the Espresso County coroner.
In a separate case, an organization referred to as Thacker Caskets claimed Johnson was on the hook for $9,588.30 for 9 unpaid caskets in 2022.
A choose dominated in Thacker’s favor final yr, ordering the troubled funeral dwelling director to pay not solely the overdue quantity, but additionally to pay $1,908.25 in accrued curiosity and legal professional charges, in keeping with the Superior Courtroom of Espresso County.
Together with the charges for that case, Johnson was additionally ordered to pay greater than $21,000 for unpaid gear in a special lawsuit filed towards him, the Journal-Structure reported.
Johnson obtained his second eviction discover Oct. 24, with police arriving two days later besides him from the south Georgia funeral dwelling.
Inside, the deputies made the ghoulish discovery, with the our bodies present in “numerous phases of decomposition,” the Espresso County Sheriff’s workplace stated.
“It’s clearly a horrible case,” stated Gabe Sterling, chief working officer of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Workplace, noting that Johnson’s license had lapsed for a interval in 2024.
Johnson was arrested and charged with 17 counts of abuse of a lifeless physique as authorities accused him of “willful negligence in his duties as a funeral dwelling director and intentional disregard of correct storage.”
Officers alleged that Johnson’s poor management led to the our bodies being saved for extreme durations, ensuing of their disfigurement.
Espresso County and state officers stated the case was nonetheless beneath investigation, with the names of the 18 our bodies discovered within the funeral dwelling but to be publicly revealed.
A consultant for Johnson couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
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