"Colorado embalmer charged with stealing gold teeth" March 01, 2012
DENVER - A Colorado embalmer was indicted after authorities said he plundered the bodies of clients’ loved ones by taking their gold teeth and fillings.
Adrian Kline, 43, of Brighton is accused of pawning more than 8 ounces of gold along with jewelry taken while he worked alone at night at several mortuaries.
With gold fetching nearly $1,800 an ounce in the sluggish economy, pawnbrokers say the items could be worth a lot.
Rod Brandenburg, owner of Grandpa’s Pawn shop in Longmont, Colo., said a single crown can be worth up to $700, depending on the size of the tooth and the quality of the gold. Brandenburg said he was not approached by Kline.
Authorities were told that as part of the embalming process, the mouths of the deceased are sewn shut and the removal of any teeth would not be detected.
A grand jury indicted Kline on Feb. 23 on charges of providing false information to a pawnbroker and providing false information to a secondhand dealer. He turned himself in the next day and was released on $2,500 bond.
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