Former Lake County Coroner Sentenced to 180 Days Jail in Child Cremation Case

John Bryan • Feb 03, 2023

Leadville, Colo. – Shannon Kent, 47, of Leadville, was sentenced today to 180 days in jail on each of two counts of Unlawful Acts—Cremation (unclassified misdemeanors). He will serve both 180 day sentences concurrently as ordered by the court. Kent plead guilty to the two charges on Dec. 12, 2022.

The sentencing stems from a December 2019 incident where the parents of a still born baby contacted the Bailey-Kent Funeral Home in Leadville after their child’s death. Shannon Kent owned the funeral home, and was also the Lake County Coroner at the time. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation after receiving complaints from the parents that they suspected the cremains of their baby son were suspicious, and that they had not received proper or timely legal paperwork (death certificate, etc.) from Kent. The cremains they received were in excess of what a five pound infant would be, and scientific results showed “…the cremation remains contain a ‘minimum of 2 individuals, a perinatal infant, and a larger individual. In addition, small bits of non-skeletal material consistent with jewelry fasteners, and surgical material were found…’”

Defendant Kent was found guilty by a jury in 2021 of 2^nd Degree Official Misconduct – for which he was sentenced to six months unsupervised probation. In June 2022, a Clear Creek County jury found Kent and his wife “not guilty” of charges related to their handling of remains of a truck driver who died in a car accident in Park County in July 2020. After an investigation by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Kent surrendered his license to operate a funeral home or conduct funeral services effective Dec. 1, 2020.

“While today brought about the close of Shannon Kent’s criminal cases, we recognize that the parents of this tragedy are still living with this open wound. There are no words sufficient to capture the grief and anguish they have been put through from the loss of their son, and the complete lack of both respect and dignity they were shown by Shannon Kent,” said Heidi McCollum, 5^th Judicial District Attorney.

During sentencing, the Honorable Judge Catherine Cheroutes said that probation for Kent was not appropriate, in light of his past history as Lake County Coroner. She stated he became ‘entitled and arrogant’ due to his positions, and noted that punishment was necessary at this time.

Kent was immediately remanded to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to begin his 180 days sentence in jail.

-DA5-

ALL PERSONS CHARGED WITH CRIMES ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL THE CONTRARY IS PROVEN IN A COURT OF LAW.

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Man Found Guilty in Co-Worker’s 2019 Death

By John Bryan • 08 Mar, 2024

Breckenridge, Colo. (Summit County) – Miles Fernando Tovar, 40, of Breckenridge, was found guilty today by a jury of: Reckless Manslaughter (F4), and 1 st Degree Criminal Trespass (F5) related to a 2019 incident involving the death of his (then) co-worker, Brendan Rye. The jury found him not guilty of: 1 st Degree Burglary (F3), and another charge of 1 st Degree Criminal Trespass. During the investigation of the death by the Breckenridge Police Department, an arrest warrant was issued for Defendant Tovar in February 2022, and he later turned himself in to the U.S. Marshals Service in Bridgeport, Conn., in October 2022. He was extradited back to Summit County, Colo., to face charges here. Background On Nov. 6, 2019, at 9:48pm, a co-worker called 9-1-1 to report Mr. Rye was unconscious and not breathing in a condominium they were all living in while renovating it (in Breckenridge). Upon arrival, law enforcement found Mr. Rye laying unresponsive in the bathroom. He was later pronounced deceased. Tovar, Rye and the reporting party were all temporarily living in the condo while they renovated it as subcontractors. The owner of the unit lived nearby and invited the men to have dinner in his condo as a thank you for their hard work. Tovar became heavily intoxicated during the evening dinner, and the condo owner asked him to leave. Tovar kept returning to the owner’s residence for various reasons, and Mr. Rye would step in and physically lead Tovar away and back to their unit, several times that night. This apparently led to the deadly confrontation between Tovar and Rye. At some point, the reporting party heard loud ‘pops’ inside the unit. Tovar had been shot in the leg once, and Rye’s death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. 5 th Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum said, “We appreciate the efforts of the Breckenridge Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service in bringing this defendant to answer for the crimes he committed. Mr. Rye’s family and friends have waited more than four years for this justice, and I sincerely hope this is one more step in their healing process.” Tovar will be sentenced on May 9, 2024, at 10:30am. He faces one to three years in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) for the criminal trespass conviction, and two to six years for reckless manslaughter (in the DOC). -DA5- ALL PERSONS CHARGED WITH CRIMES ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL THE CONTRARY IS PROVEN IN A COURT OF LAW.