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Lake County Coroner facing recall following criminal charges

LEADVILLE, Colo. (KDVR) — The Coroner of Lake County is facing a voter recall. The move to remove Shannon Kent comes one week after the Problem Solvers reported he and his wife Staci Kent were both facing charges in Summit County for tampering with a deceased body.

The two are accused of leaving the body of a California man in a coffin for more than six months at a Silverthorne mortuary they once owned.

Shannon Kent was already facing legal troubles after Lake County Sheriff Deputies executed a search warrant in December of 2019 at his Leadville mortuary where investigators found a body not refrigerated and paperwork scattered everywhere.

In addition, Kent is facing a civil lawsuit from a couple who claims he mixed the cremains of their stillborn baby with ashes from an adult along with metal pieces.

Lake County Clerk and Recorder Patty Berger said citizens must gather 690 signatures or 25% of the voters who voted in the last election to put the recall measure to voters. 

If enough signatures are verified, Berger said she will call a special election to vote yes or no to recall Kent and name a replacement. Recall committee members have 60 days to gather signatures to recall Kent whose term expires in 2022.