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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Three administrators of a now-closed central Arkansas funeral home have pleaded not guilty to corpse abuse charges that stemmed from a discovery earlier this year in which regulators found bodies stacked on top of each other and some stored outside of a freezer.
Arkansas Funeral Care co-owners 86-year-old Leroy Wood and his son, 61-year-old Rodney Wood, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1KUwWAP ) reported.
Edward Snow, who served as the manager of day-to-day operations at the funeral home, also pleaded not guilty. The three each face 13 charges related to corpse abuse and were arrested in June.
The funeral home in Jacksonville was shut down Jan. 23, a few days after officials with the state Crime Laboratory and the Pulaski County coroner's office picked up 31 bodies and 22 cremated remains from the funeral home. An investigation determined the business violated state regulations regarding the storage of bodies.
According to arrest affidavits, some of the bodies were "in various stages of decomposition," and some showed signs of "extreme decomposition."
"Bodies were stacked on top of one another, on pallets, on the washer and dryer and on every available space they could find," the affidavits stated. "Coffee cans with deodorizer were placed next to bodies to help with the odor in the room."
A hearing has been set for Nov. 19, and a jury trial is scheduled for Feb. 3 before Circuit Judge Chris Piazza.
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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com
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