Woman accused of trying to remove body at funeral

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.

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