Suffolk News-Herald

Local cemetery owner Abraham Applewhite, arrested over the weekend for selling burial plots without a license, is free on $2,500 bond today.

On Feb. 28, authorities arrested Applewhite, 51, at his home in the 600 block of Dutch Road, charging him with obtaining money under false pretenses, said Lt. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department. Other charges may be pending.

Applewhite was released from Western Tidewater Regional Jail on Tuesday.

His arrest was prompted by a complaint filed late last year with the state Cemetery Board, George said.

A Cedar Street resident, who in December bought four burial plots in an undeveloped area of Carver Memorial Cemetery for $2,100, contacted the state after learning that the cemetery was not licensed, George said.

The state pulled Applewhite’s license this past fall after receiving multiple complaints from residents and city officials frustrated by the lack of perpetual care, the condition of roads and general upkeep of the cemetery.

This past weekend’s charge is the newest in a string of charges filed against Applewhite recently. On Jan. 9, he was charged with issuing a bad check, George said.

That felony charged came after Applewhite wrote a bad check for $2,040 to the city for two burial plots in Holly Lawn Cemetery, she said.

In October, Applewhite was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and felony worthless checks.