Former Dougco Deputy Coroner Charged With 7 Felonies

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - CBS4 has learned that the former Douglas County Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner has been charged with felony theft, three counts of felony embezzlement and three counts of forging government issued documents.

The charges against Carter Lord, 65, come seven months after a CBS4 investigation reported Lord was under state investigation for selling handguns that the coroner's office took into evidence as part of death scene investigations.

"I haven't been informed," Lord said when contacted by CBS4 Wednesday afternoon to discuss the charges.

Lord called the charges surprising.

"This is interesting yet again," Lord told CBS4. He referred further inquiries to his attorney.

In March of this year, Lord told CBS4 he "accidentally" sold one of the handguns for $500.

"I don't know what they're doing," Lord said at the time, regarding the investigation into the handguns.

According to Lord, the guns were part of various coroner investigations and families of deceased victims had indicated they wanted the weapons destroyed. Lord said he intended to destroy them after removing them from the coroner's office, but that never happened.

Lord is a gunsmith and licensed federal firearms dealer and has the facilities and expertise to destroy the weapons. He told CBS4 he planned to destroy them at his shop but "sold one by accident" for $500. He explained a tag, indicating the gun was to be destroyed, had fallen off the gun, leading to the inadvertent sale.

Lord said two other weapons from the coroner's office had also not yet been destroyed. He told CBS4 that after the criminal investigation began, all the handguns were recovered by law enforcement authorities.

Lord worked in the coroner's office for 10 years. He ran for Douglas County coroner but lost in a primary election in 2010.

Douglas County court records show Lord is required to post $6,000 bond. It's unclear from court records when Lord is next scheduled to appear before a judge. Court records show the criminal investigation was conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

- Written by Brian Maass for CBSDenver.com