New Restrictions For Former Fort Worth Mortuary Owner
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FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - A former Fort Worth funeral home owner will go to jail if he's busted again. A new court order makes it illegal for him to work in the funeral business.
This latest development in the Johnson Family Mortuary case stems from several I-Team investigations done in the last month.
Today, it took Judge Elizabeth Beach less than ten minutes to approve new bond restrictions for Dondre Johnson. The ruling means from now until his criminal cases are done, it is illegal for Johnson to work in the funeral industry.
"I think there was news published that he was still working around funeral homes," Alex Kim, Johnson's defense attorney, said after the hearing.
Kim is referring to CBS 11 I-Team undercover investigations that caught Dondre Johnson working funerals all over North Texas, including one this past Wednesday in East Fort Worth.
His attorney believes Johnson continued to work funerals because it's the best way for him to make money to pay child support.
"There's fast food restaurants, there's grocery stores. I mean, he has other options," I-Team Reporter Mireya Villarreal pointed out.
"But that would be in violation of his family court order," Kim explained. "He has to work at the highest possible level according to that order in family court. If he gets beneath his highest earning capacity, then he's in violation of that court order. Which means up to six months in jail."
Johnson is charged with seven counts of abuse of a corpse and theft. Police say he took people's money, promised to give their loved ones a proper funeral, but didn't deliver. Instead, they say he left their bodies to rot inside this east side fort worth mortuary.
The Tarrant County DA's office expects this case to go to trial right around the summer time.
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