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April 27, 2012

Plea filed in Pyke case

Former funeral director to plead guilty on 23 counts

tara.schmelz@newsandtribune.com

JEFFERSONVILLE — About nine months after pleading guilty to insurance fraud in New Albany, Richard Pyke has signed a plea in Clark County, agreeing to plead guilty to 23 counts and accept a bench trial for the remaining 38 charges.

Pyke, 45, is the former owner of Pyke-Calloway Funeral Home in New Albany and R.D. Pyke Funeral Home in Henryville. He was facing numerous allegations in Clark County — from failing to provide gravestones and monuments people had purchased from him to selling preneed funeral services and not placing the money in an escrow or trust account, as required by law

During a multiagency investigation of his Henryville funeral home in May 2010, authorities found five human bodies — two adults and three infants — and 10 animal carcasses. According to police, some families learned the ashes they received after cremation were not the remains of their loved ones.

Pyke signed an agreement saying he will plead guilty to 23 charges: 13 charges of theft (class D felony); nine charges of insurance fraud (class C felony); and one charge of conversion (class A misdemeanor). According to the agreement, he would like to plead not guilty to the 38 remaining charges: 32 charges of theft (class D felony); five charges for violating the cremation statute (class D felony); and one for check deception (class A misdemeanor). According to the agreement, Pyke will have a bench trial, where the judge will determine guilt for the remaining charges.

According to the plea agreement, the judge will determine the years to be served for the charges Pyke intends to plead guilty to, not exceeding 16 years. As for the remaining charges, Pyke faces six months to three years for each D felony charge and up to one year for the misdemeanor.

According to the agreement, Pyke is to pay restitution to each victim of each count that he is convicted. That amount will be determined at a later restitution hearing.

In July, Pyke pleaded guilty to two counts of class C felony insurance fraud in New Albany. He was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution of as much as $1,117.

The plea agreement will not be official until finalized by the court. According to online court records, Pyke’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 21.

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