Ex-Rommie's Arrest Well-Urned (Their title, not mine!)

Kentucky Post ^ | May 11, 2005 | Shelly Whitehead

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Ex-roomie's arrest well-urned

By Shelly Whitehead Post staff reporter

Today's criminal justice stumper comes from Covington, where this week police arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly swiping the ashes of his ex- lover's dead brother, then refusing to return the cremation urn because, as he told officers, "He wanted it to sit and fill with water."

So, the question is, with what was James W. Skean charged?

If you guessed something like, desecration of a grave site, kidnapping or even attempted reconstitution of a human, go back to law school.

As morbidly offbeat as the plunder in this case was, the crime still falls under your standard second-degree burglary charge, according to Covington police.

Neither the jailed Skean, nor his alleged victim, Betty Poteete, could be reached for comment. But, Covington police provided some background on how everything unfolded for them, beginning just after 1 a.m. Monday.

That's when Poteete, 39, of Covington, called police to her 1525 Greenup St. home to report a break-in.

Poteete pegged Skean for the crime from the start, police said.

She told investigators that Skean moved out a few weeks ago when the two had parted ways. And just to make sure they stayed far enough apart, Poteete had obtained an emergency protective order from the court, prohibiting him from contacting her, she told police.

Skean opted, police said, to break into Poteete's home while she was gone.

"This isn't your basic 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday, happy-go-lucky couple there," explained Covington Assistant Police Chief Lt. Col. David Finan Sr.

The police report states that Skean later admitted to using a credit card to break in through a locked rear door. Then police said he went to the bedroom and stole the memorial urn containing the ashes of Poteete's brother.

Skean then phoned Poteete to tell her if she ever wanted to see her brother's remains again, she would meet him that morning, police said.

Covington police know the content of the conversation because officers were in the room with Poteete when Skean called. The officers opted to tag along to the rendezvous.

Skean didn't have the ashes with him.

And, after confessing to the burglary and being arrested, he still refused to tell police where the ashes were.

"He told us, 'No,' he wanted it to sit and fill with water," wrote the arresting officer in his offense report.

Police called for the one member of the force who had a nose for this sort of thing: Covington police canine, Orry.

"This is at one in the morning and ... this is at a vacant lot in the area of 16th and Waters - where the old Glenway Pool was. ..." Finan said. "But the canine located the urn, and they got it back to her."

Skean is being held in the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington on $5,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for May 17 in Kenton District Court.

[MrNeutron1962]

In Connecticut at lease, cremation ashes are no longer considered human remains. Actually, the "Ashes" are mostly hammer-milled bone fragments that didn't oxidize in the crematory oven.