Ohio Man Accused Of Stealing Urns to Sell To Scrap Yard

An Ohio man has been accused of stealing cremation urns and then dumping he ashes so he can sell the urns to a scrap yard in Cincinnati. Don Catchen, co-owner of Cincinnati Cremation Co., said that of twenty bronze urns that were stolen, three of them contained ashes of deceased people. Seventeen of the urns were new and worth $20,000 total.

Alan Smith, a former employee of Cincinnati Cremation Co., was arrested and accused of theft, vandalism, and desecration. Catchen had fired Smith in late January for attendance reasons and various other issues. Shortly after firing him, he found three bags of ashes and noticed all of the missing urns.

Due in part to this case, the Cincinnati council members voted for new rules “requiring licenses, criminal background checks and a two-day wait to get paid for scrap metal sellers.”

See Police: Man Dumped Ashes, Sold Urns for Scrap, MarionStar.com, Feb 16, 2012.