FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. – A Fruitland Park city employee was arrested Monday after being accused of tampering with human cremains and running a cemetery plot con at Shiloh Cemetery, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Jabari Hopkins, 30, the city’s human resources director, was accused of grand theft between $5,000 and $10,000, after collecting money from people for cemetery plots and a columbarium niche, a vault for human cremains, according to an affidavit.
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A probable cause affidavit said detectives launched an investigation into Hopkins on Jan. 24 after Fruitland Park’s finance director noticed some strange and suspicious financial transactions on a city credit card issued to Hopkins for departmental expenses. Police later learned he made personal purchases on the city credit card.
Officers said this investigation led them to discover that Hopkins had tampered with human cremains at Shiloh Cemetery after scheming to sell a niche.
According to officers, Hopkins stole an already occupied niche and sold it to a man for $650 after removing the other human cremains. Hopkins told police he dumped the remains the niche previously held into another niche, but upon further investigation, the remains are still unaccounted for.
A probable cause affidavit goes on to show Hopkins is also accused of pocketing money after scheming to sell people plots in the same cemetery.
Hopkins approached multiple people interested in purchasing cemetery plots and convinced them to make out the payments directly to him instead of the city, investigators said.
Police said Hopkin’s cemetery plot con totaled $6,500.
Hopkins faces a charge of grand theft and disturbing contents of a grave or tomb.