Attorney asks governor for state protection for crematory operator

ATLANTA - The lawyer for Tri-State Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh asked Governor Barnes Thursday to provide state protection for his client, saying he feared for his safety. <br> <br> In a letter to the governor, attorney Ken Poston said Marsh&#39;s physical safety could be in jeopardy from public outrage after hundreds of uncremated bodies were found on his property in February and March. <br> <br> A spokeswoman for Barnes said the governor&#39;s office had received the letter but would not offer special protection. <br> <br> A spokeswoman for the governor, Joselyn Baker, said Superior Court Judge James Bodiford did offer Marsh the option of staying in protective custody ``and should he choose to leave that custody, it&#39;s his decision.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In the letter Poston requested that a detail of armed and visible state agents be assigned for some period of time to the roads leading to Marsh&#39;s house. <br> <br> Poston said the request was necessary because the location has been broadly publicized, and local law enforcement has sharply declined requests for any protective services. <br> <br> The 29-year-old Marsh has been in jail since February 17, charged with 398 felony counts, including theft by deception and abuse of a body for allegedly accepting money and never performing the cremations. <br> <br> More than 340 uncremated human remains were recovered on the grounds of the Marsh family&#39;s Tri-State Crematory at Noble, near the Tennessee border. So far, 167 bodies have been identified.