by KYW's David Madden
The mayor of Glenolden (Delaware County), Pa. is under arrest, accused of ripping off 20 families while he operated a funeral home there.
Theodore Bathurst, 68, posted his own bond after being taken out in handcuffs on Friday morning, charged with cheating 20 people who had set up prepaid accounts to cover funeral expenses.
Investigators say Bathurst (above) embezzled more than $76,000 from those accounts to pay the operating expenses of his funeral home business.
That business, the McCausland-Bathurst funeral home on Chester Pike, was sold a couple of years ago. The new owner says she had to cover out of her own pocket the costs of some of the funerals which were supposed to be covered by the prepayments.
Delaware County DA Mike Green says Bathurst had indicated to the new owner that the prepayments were in bank accounts or covered by life insurance policies, but weren't:
"Bathurst acknowledged that he used the escrow monies to pay various vendors and other business expenses in order to keep the business in operation."
Bathurst is the longtime mayor of Glenolden, Pa. On Friday, as he was being brought out for his arraignment, he was asked by reporters if he had any comment. His response:
"I'm sorry this happened."
The four term Republican had no comment when asked if he would be stepping down as mayor. His elected term expires at the end of this year; he isn’t seeking re-election.
The charges against Bathurst, topped by more than two dozen felony theft counts, do not involve any of his official duties as mayor.
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