Funeral Board Revokes Funeral Home's License

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The Oklahoma Funeral Board voted Wednesday to revoke the funeral director and embalmer's license of a man accused of selling drugs out of a Purcell funeral home.<br/><br/>Board

Wednesday, February 21st 2007, 2:59 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The Oklahoma Funeral Board voted Wednesday to revoke the funeral director and embalmer's license of a man accused of selling drugs out of a Purcell funeral home.

Board members voted unanimously to take back the license of Charles Damet and to revoke the Yoakum-Damet Funeral Home's permits. The board was appointed custodian of the funeral home's records.

The board heard testimony from the deputy insurance commissioner and the inspector for the funeral board.

The McClain County Sheriff's Department, which had been watching the facility for about a year, alleges the funeral home was acting as a front for drug distribution.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Damet, the owner, and five others last week on drug-related charges. A search revealed drugs and drug distribution paraphernalia, authorities allege.

According to an inspector, the funeral home had been accepting money for prepaid funeral trusts without a license and some of the money is still missing, deputy commissioner Darren Ellingson said.

Board inspector Lloyd Brown told the board there were three recent cases of Yoakum-Damet's customers not receiving proper death certificates.

In one instance, the family of the deceased had not received the cremated remains back from a Jan. 4 funeral, Brown said.