PENROSE, Colo. — An El Paso County judge on Thursday significantly lowered the bond of the funeral home owner who is charged with multiple felonies after nearly 200 bodies were found improperly stored at their Penrose business.
Jon Hallford appeared in court for a hearing. He faces 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, 61 counts of forgery and four counts of theft and money laundering.
Hallford was being held on a $2 million cash-only bond, but the judge in the case lowered that to $100,000 cash, property, or surety. He cited Hallford's lack of criminal history and said the typical bonds for the most serious charges he faced were $10,000.
Prosecutors had argued for a higher bond, claiming that his arrest showed he was a flight risk.
If he's able to post bond, he'll be subject to GPS monitoring and won't be able to consume alcohol or drugs. He must also check in with pre-trial services three times per week. He's next due in court on Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m. for a preliminary hearing.
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The Fremont County Sheriff's Office searched the Return To Nature Funeral Home property in Penrose on Oct. 4 after a report was made the previous day of "an abhorrent smell" coming from the property at 31 Werner Road. According to a federal complaint, Hallford agreed to meet an inspector at 2 p.m. on that day but failed to show up. He and his wife were eventually arrested in Oklahoma.
Many of the bodies that were found there were reported to the state as buried or cremated, and loved ones were provided with items that were purported to be remains, according to a federal complaint filed in the case. The Penrose funeral home's license expired in November 2022.
His wife, Carie Hallford, is also being held on 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, as well as dozens of other felony charges that include theft, money laundering, and forgery. She is due in court on Jan. 11 where her bond will be addressed.
The Penrose location was being demolished Thursday morning.
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