Former funeral home owner now charged with felony complaints

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - There are new charges against the former owner of the Downard Funeral Home & Crematory. Lance Peck is now facing additional felony charges on top of the misdemeanor charges. The case has been moved to the District Court.

Lance Peck is charged with 63 misdemeanors for allegedly mishandling deceased remains at the former Pocatello funeral home. Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog has not released exactly what the new felony charges are.

The new charges were revealed during a pre-trial conference that took place Monday at the Bannock County Courthouse. Peck did not attend the hearing.

Peck's attorney told the judge they plan to waive the preliminary hearing for District Court, meaning the court process can move on to the next step.

Peck's attorney also asked the court to assign him as a public defender for the District Court proceedings. The judge said he would need to find out if that is allowed to happen.

Herzog reported in August he was going to hold mediation hearings with Peck back in August. It is unknown if those hearings were held or what came out of the mediation sessions.

Pocatello Police executed a search warrant at Downard Funeral Home on Sept. 3, 2021. Their search discovered 12 bodies in various stages of decomposition along with approximately 50 fetuses in jars and dozens of unidentified cremated remains.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.