DOUGLAS — A funeral home director arrested here after 18 decomposing bodies were discovered while he was being evicted last weekend had a history of financial and legal difficulties, according to local court records.
Chris Lee Johnson, the proprietor of Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services, was first ordered to vacate the building in South Georgia on May 20 because of unpaid rent. He successfully appealed after making $9,000 in overdue payments covering three months of rent.
Johnson again missed rent payments for July and August, leading to a second eviction order Oct. 24, based on Superior Court of Coffee County filings. The eviction was carried out Oct. 26.
In a separate case, Thacker Caskets, a supplier of caskets, demanded $9,588.30 for nine unpaid caskets in September 2022. After Johnson failed to respond to a legal summons, Thacker filed a motion for default judgment in March 2023.
A judge ruled in Thacker’s favor in September 2023, ordering Johnson to pay the overdue amount, along with $840.36 in accrued interest, $1,067.89 in attorney fees and additional post-judgment interest, according to the same court.
In a separate lawsuit related to unpaid equipment, county court records show Johnson was ordered to pay $21,247.50. Although few details are included in the case documents, one order shows a judge ruled Johnson was required to pay $18,250 in principal debt, $2,737.50 in attorney fees and $260 in court costs to the plaintiff.
Johnson, 39, was charged with 17 counts of abuse of a dead body after authorities said they discovered 18 corpses in various stages of decomposition when they went to the funeral parlor to evict him.
Arrest warrants allege Johnson’s “willful negligence in his duties as a funeral home director and intentional disregard of proper storage” led to remains being kept for excessive periods, resulting in severe disfigurement of 17 bodies.
The landlord of the 7,500-square-foot building that housed the funeral home, Varnedore Properties, did not immediately respond to interview requests this week.
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