Funeral director accused of operating without a license to testify in front of grand jury
Michael Naughton is scheduled to give his testimony on April 1.
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The director accused of operating a Mount Vernon funeral home without a license is set to testify in front of a grand jury.
During a court appearance in Mount Vernon on Thursday, attorneys on both sides agreed that Michael Naughton will give his testimony on April 1.
Naughton previously plead not guilty to operating Camelot Funeral Home without a license.
The same families who say they were impacted by the funeral home, and attended Naughton's last court appearance, were back in the courtroom on Thursday.
That includes Aloma Washington, who says Naughton kept her mom's remains at the home for three months.
"I'm going to show up every single time. That was my mother. He disrespected my mother," Washington says.
The charge Naughton currently faces is a misdemeanor. However, the state Attorney General's Office said it is considering felony charges.
Washington's loved one, Joanne Sinkfield, says the possible development would excite her.
"That'll be great. He needs more than one felony charge," Sinkfield says.
Naughton had no comment.
However, another woman who came to the appearance on Thursday, and asked to remain anonymous, says she doesn't even know if the ashes she has belongs to her loved one.
"This is a wound that will never close," she says.
The woman says Naughton didn't release her loved one's death certificate for months. She says the delay made it harder for her to access his pension.
"My house is in foreclosure. My tax is not paid because of this man," she says.
