Scott County cemetery owner accused of taking $15,000 from six customers

A Scott County grand jury indicted a cemetery owner Friday on a charge that he took more than $15,000 from six customers.

Dale Shackelford, 57, of Georgetown, owner of Crestlawn Cemetery. was indicted on one count of theft by deception of $10,000 or more, a felony punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

The indictment says that between March 4, 2015, and Oct. 22, 2015, Shackelford “unlawfully obtained ... $15,301.38 from six individuals, by creating the false impression that the money received would be used to purchase headstones and/or grave plots.”

The state attorney general’s office has received numerous complaints from people who paid for funeral and burial services that were not carried out at the cemetery.

Last month, a judge granted a default judgment against Crestlawn Cemetery and ordered Shackelford to fulfill all outstanding obligations to consumers or provide refunds.

Scott County Circuit Judge Paul F. Isaacs also ordered Shackelford to properly register the cemetery and to pay civil penalties to the state attorney general’s office.

That default judgment was granted to the Office of Consumer Protection in the attorney general’s office.

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Scott County cemetery owner accused of taking $15,000 from six customers."