Weddings, banquets nixed as crematory investigation takes over civic center

ROCK SPRING - Regina Feldmann was in a panic. <br> <br> She had planned her wedding reception for Saturday at the Walker County Civic Center, but the building had been taken over by officials investigating the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, where 339 discarded corpses were found last month. <br> <br> Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh has been charged with 174 counts of theft by deception in Georgia and another six counts of corpse abuse in Tennessee. More charges may be pending. <br> <br> Feldmann&#39;s reception was one of 49 events -- banquets, graduations and church meetings -- that were canceled because of the investigation. <br> <br> Feldmann said, ``Because of what this one person did, so many people are suffering. It mainly involved the families, but it also involved others like me who were bystanders.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Feldmann, now Mrs. Nick Tippett, was able to reschedule her reception and move 200 guests to the Catoosa County Colonnade last Saturday. However, it was twice as expensive. <br> <br> Feldmann told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that she started panicking. She said the day she found out her event would not take place was -- as she put it -- ``a nightmare.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The director for the centers, Nelda Parrish, said all activities scheduled for the Civic Center or the Walker County Ag Center have been canceled from February 17-March 31, <br> <br> Parrish already has refunded about $1,500 to those who booked the facilities in March or April. The cost to rent a room ranges from $50-$250 for county residents, depending on the room size. <br> <br> Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell estimated the Tri-State Crematory situation may cost the county $500,000, not including the loss in rental revenue from the centers.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/3/197581