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Woman accused of trying to remove body at funeral

The long line outside the St. Paul Cathedral for the funeral of Philando Castile Thursday, July 14, 2016 at St. Paul Cathedral in St. Paul, Minn. Castile was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in suburban St. Paul last week. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)
The long line outside the St. Paul Cathedral for the funeral of Philando Castile Thursday, July 14, 2016 at St. Paul Cathedral in St. Paul, Minn. Castile was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in suburban St. Paul last week. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee woman is facing charges after being accused of walking into a funeral and trying to remove a body from a casket.

News agencies report Columbia police say 36-year-old Cynthia Ann Frierson was charged with disrupting a funeral, public intoxication, unlawful drug paraphernalia and driving on a revoked/suspended license.

A police report says Frierson hit two cars with her truck Monday and fled before arriving at the funeral home, where witnesses say she entered a service, walked up to the casket and began grabbing at the body inside. Several people then removed her from the building.

Police say Frierson smelled of alcohol and had a small glass pipe with her.

Frierson denies any wrongdoing, telling WKRN-TV that she knew the deceased and just went up and touched the body.