Grand jury indicts Tifton cemetery monument company owners and employee on 175 counts based on 525 charges of theft by conversion
TIFTON, Ga. – A Tift County Grand Jury this week returned a 175-count indictment involving a total of 525 charges of theft by conversion against the co-owners and an employee of two Tifton cemetery monument companies, according to Tifton Judicial Circuit District Attorney Patrick Warren.
Tifton residents Emmett Fred “Tony” Eaton, 73; Emmett Cameron “Cam” Eaton, 40; and Amanda Nichole Aubrey, 45, were indicted and charged with numerous counts of felonies and misdemeanors following a Tift County Sheriff’s Office investigation into scores of complaints of headstones, slabs, and monuments being purchased but never placed on graves.
Theft by conversion is a crime that occurs when someone lawfully obtains another person’s property or money and then uses it for their own benefit. In Georgia, theft by conversion is usually a misdemeanor, but can be charged as a felony if the value of the property or money is more than $500.
The grand jury indictment was handed down Monday.
The Eaton father-son team owned Tifton Monument & Memorials LLC and Eaton Memorials LLC. The Eatons and their employee Aubrey were initially arrested in November.
Those initial arrests involved each defendant originally facing nearly 70 counts, District Attorney Warren said. As the investigation progressed, special presentments were submitted by the district attorney, expanding the indictment to include additional charges.
All three defendants are being arrested and fingerprinted on the new charges, with bond expected to be denied. Victims are being notified of the date and time for the bond hearings with the opportunity to be heard by the judge prior to a ruling.
This case involves a significant number of victims, and District Attorney Warren commended both the investigators for their work and local residents who came forward with additional information, which helped uncover the full scope of the alleged misconduct.
“Taking advantage of grieving families during their time of loss is not only unethical, it is criminal,” Warren said. “This indictment sends a clear message that such conduct will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Warren noted that victim advocates, staff, and prosecutors from the DA’s Office have met personally with many of the families, listening to their experiences, and collecting the necessary evidence to move the case forward.
“Our office has heard heartbreaking accounts from people who trusted these individuals during one of the most painful moments in life – the loss of a loved one. We are committed to ensuring their voices are heard and justice is served,” Warren said.
Before his initial arrest in November, Tony Eaton had posted an apology last September on social media “for the unnecessary grief and concern caused by the delay in procuring the memorial for your loved ones. I know this delay has caused much stress and anxiety for my customers. I have been in business over 35 years and have never failed to complete an order. Unfortunately, many factors beyond my control have caused this delay. Please know that I am not making excuses, and I am working extremely hard right now to make everyone whole and deliver all memorials in an expeditious manner,” he wrote.
The case will proceed in Tift County Superior Court, with a trial date to be determined.
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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