Police charged two housemates of a recently deceased man with abusing a corpse after propping up his body to withdraw bank money.
Ashtabula Police Department Chief Robert B. Stell said Loreen B. Feralo, 55, and Karen Kasbohm, 63, found the man dead Monday and carried him to a bank, where they had previously accompanied him.
A third, unnamed individual helped the roommates carry the body to the front seat of the dead man's car so bank workers could see him and drive to the familiar bank branch to withdraw an undisclosed amount, the chief said.
Stell said the couple withdrew money from the man's account with his approval. The chief told Ashtabula's Star Beacon that the suspects used the bank's drive-thru teller.
Stell said the alleged caper ended when the couple dropped off the body at Ashtabula County Medical Center after the withdrawal and fled without telling hospital workers about the man.
The body was recognized as Douglas Layman, 80, after one of the two called the facility with the man's story, the chief said. Stell said officers learned about the bank trip via Layman's Ashtabula roommates.
Police said the accused appeared in court, although it was unclear if they pleaded or had representation. An inquiry to the county public defender's office was not immediately returned. NBC station WKYC of Cleveland, 60 miles southwest of Ashtabula, reported Casbohm's $5,000 bond and Feralo's arraignment next week.
Stell stated that more charges were possible. A request for comment was ignored by the county prosecutor.
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