LAKE COUNTY, Colorado — The elected coroner of Lake County faces 14 new charges including five counts of abuse of a corpse, according to documents filed by the Lake County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.
Shannon Kent, 45, resigned from his position as coroner earlier this month effective Aug. 1 or until someone else is seated in his position.
He had previously been charged with official misconduct, a petty offense, and perjury, a felony, in Lake County, and tampering with a deceased human body, a felony, in Summit County. He was elected Lake County coroner in 2014 and reelected in 2018.
The newest charges include:
- Four counts of felony abuse of a corpse
- One misdemeanor count of abuse of a corpse
- Two counts of unlawful acts related to cremation
- One count of first-degree official misconduct
- Two counts of second-degree official misconduct
- Three counts of falsifying health information
- One count of unlawful acts related to a mortuary
The date listed for each of these charges is Dec. 10, 2019, according to the charging documents obtained by 9NEWS.
Kent and his wife Staci were arrested in Summit County earlier this year after Silverthorne Police said they found the decomposing body of a man who died in July 2020 at their former funeral home location in the city.
Kent is slated to appear in court for a first appearance for the newest charges against him in June.
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