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Published: September 19, 2008
Elkin - The N.C. Board of Funeral Service is investigating a complaint against Hodges Funeral Home in Elkin.
Carl and Mae Lashmit of Elkin say that they paid in advance for the cost of a funeral but when they went to transfer the pre-paid funeral contract to another funeral home, they found that the contract had not been filed with the state board and there was no record of the money that was supposed to be deposited at a bank, said Paul Harris, the board's executive director.
The initial complaint was received in March, Harris said.
"Part of the responsibility, when you enter a contract with a consumer, within 10 days you have to register the contract with this board. Within five days, you have to create a trust account at the bank or use the money to purchase an insurance policy that would be for the value of the funeral," Harris said.
Pre-paid funeral contracts are transferable to any other licensed funeral services, he said.
The investigation is of the funeral service, which includes individual licensees and other staff if necessary, Harris said. State records show two licensees at Hodges — owner Timothy B. Hodges and manager Joseph Keith Greene.
Dudley Witt, an attorney in Winston-Salem who represents Timothy Hodges, said that Hodges is being cooperative and that they are working toward a resolution.
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