YATES CENTER — Rickey A. Furst Jr., 36, former funeral director and manager of Campbell Funeral Home in Yates Center, has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $14,000.
Yates Center Police Chief Lyle Kee announced in a press release Saturday the charges against Furst.
The Woodson County Attorney’s office charged Furst with one felony count of theft, alleging he stole $13,172.58 from the funeral home, and one count of misdemeanor theft, alleging he stole $900 from a customer to whom he sold a cemetery monument.
The investigation began in April, Kee said, after Furst was terminated from his employment at Campbell. One of the funeral home owners contacted the Yates Center Police Department, asking the officers to examine the books and records for signs of possible embezzlement.
Kee spearheaded the investigation, auditing financial records at the funeral home before executing a search warrant at Piqua State Bank for Furst’s banking records connected with his sideline company, Furst Monuments.
Furst Monuments is not affiliated with Campbell Funeral Home, Kee said.
Kee said the investigation is ongoing; additional charges could be filed later.
Former funeral director charged with embezzlement
