More legal trouble is ahead for one-time Wabaunsee County coroner Shawn Parcells.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says nearly 80 new consumers were harmed by Parcells when he provided autopsy services in violation of state law, bringing the total to 82. This follows action by a Shawnee County judge to amend the state’s civil suit against Parcells and his companies, thus increasing the number of affected consumers.
The current lawsuit, filed in March 2019, alleges three violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and 14 of the Kansas False Claims Act. It alleges Parcells contracted with Wabaunsee County to do autopsies but failed to complete them in accordance with Kansas law. It also alleges Parcells It also says Parcells did autopsies without being supervised as ordered by the court.
Besides the civil suit, Parcells faces three felony theft counts and three misdemeanor desecration counts in Wabaunsee county after alleged incidents in 2014 and 2015.
Schmidt says anybody who had any business dealings with Parcells and his companies — and who has reason to think a family member’s biological samples may be among the 1,600 now held by the state — should go online to www.InYourCornerKansas.org/parcells for more information or to take further action.
