SC Funeral Home Downsizes Corpse
14 years 10 months ago #1
by riada
Nor but in sleep findeth a cure for care.
Incertainty that once gave scope to dream
Of laughing enterprise and glory untold,
Is now a blackness that no stars redeem.
SC Funeral Home Downsizes Corpse was created by riada
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina funeral home where a corpse's legs were cut so the body would fit in a casket can remain open as it appeals the revocation of its license, a judge has ruled.
The order issued Tuesday said funeral director Michael Cave and Cave Funeral Home in Allendale could suffer irreparable harm if forced to stay closed until a special state court can hear an appeal next month.
The state Funeral Board voted to revoke Cave's license June 1 after he admitted an employee used an electric saw to sever the legs of 6-foot-7 James Hines after he died in 2004.
Cave contended his license shouldn't have been taken away because it was a worker, not Cave, who used the saw. Cave also said the incident happened more than four years ago and the public was in no imminent danger.
Cave's lawyer didn't immediately respond to a message Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Cave signed an agreement with the Funeral Board saying his employees never told James Hines' family that his body might not fit in a standard casket and an unlicensed worker cut Hines' legs with an electric saw without consulting relatives. Hines' widow said she has been told his legs were cut between the ankle and calf and placed back in the casket. The agreement does not say where they were cut.
A criminal investigation into the incident continues, said Heather Strickland, a spokeswoman for Allendale County's prosecutor. In South Carolina, destroying or desecrating human remains is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Hines' widow said Cave apologized to her for the first time at a hearing earlier this month.
"Michael did a half-turn in my direction and said he was sorry," Ann Hines said. "I accept his apology because I'll let his conscience and his God deal with that."
She said she hopes the funeral home remains closed so no one else has to go through the same experience.
James Hines, 60, died in October 2004 of skin cancer, and his family picked out a standard-sized casket at the funeral home. His wife said no one suggested a longer casket, and her husband's body was only shown from the chest up at his funeral.
Rumors that a worker had cut Hines' legs started not long after he was buried, his family said.
Hines was well-known in the town of 3,700 people about 75 miles southwest of Columbia. He became a preacher later in his life, playing guitar during services at the church he built and on a nearby Christian radio station until his death.
Ann Hines said when she threatened to sue Cave Funeral Home shortly after burying her husband, the business settled out of court as long as she didn't reveal how much she was given.
The county coroner and the funeral board eventually launched their own investigation, exhuming Hines' body earlier this year.
Cave's hearing before the Administrative Law Court is scheduled for July 14. The six-member court hears appeals of decisions made by state agencies.
The order issued Tuesday said funeral director Michael Cave and Cave Funeral Home in Allendale could suffer irreparable harm if forced to stay closed until a special state court can hear an appeal next month.
The state Funeral Board voted to revoke Cave's license June 1 after he admitted an employee used an electric saw to sever the legs of 6-foot-7 James Hines after he died in 2004.
Cave contended his license shouldn't have been taken away because it was a worker, not Cave, who used the saw. Cave also said the incident happened more than four years ago and the public was in no imminent danger.
Cave's lawyer didn't immediately respond to a message Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Cave signed an agreement with the Funeral Board saying his employees never told James Hines' family that his body might not fit in a standard casket and an unlicensed worker cut Hines' legs with an electric saw without consulting relatives. Hines' widow said she has been told his legs were cut between the ankle and calf and placed back in the casket. The agreement does not say where they were cut.
A criminal investigation into the incident continues, said Heather Strickland, a spokeswoman for Allendale County's prosecutor. In South Carolina, destroying or desecrating human remains is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Hines' widow said Cave apologized to her for the first time at a hearing earlier this month.
"Michael did a half-turn in my direction and said he was sorry," Ann Hines said. "I accept his apology because I'll let his conscience and his God deal with that."
She said she hopes the funeral home remains closed so no one else has to go through the same experience.
James Hines, 60, died in October 2004 of skin cancer, and his family picked out a standard-sized casket at the funeral home. His wife said no one suggested a longer casket, and her husband's body was only shown from the chest up at his funeral.
Rumors that a worker had cut Hines' legs started not long after he was buried, his family said.
Hines was well-known in the town of 3,700 people about 75 miles southwest of Columbia. He became a preacher later in his life, playing guitar during services at the church he built and on a nearby Christian radio station until his death.
Ann Hines said when she threatened to sue Cave Funeral Home shortly after burying her husband, the business settled out of court as long as she didn't reveal how much she was given.
The county coroner and the funeral board eventually launched their own investigation, exhuming Hines' body earlier this year.
Cave's hearing before the Administrative Law Court is scheduled for July 14. The six-member court hears appeals of decisions made by state agencies.
Nor but in sleep findeth a cure for care.
Incertainty that once gave scope to dream
Of laughing enterprise and glory untold,
Is now a blackness that no stars redeem.
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