'I want that gone so we can start new' | Jones County cemetery at center of fraud case under new ownership

JONES COUNTY, Ga. — Last month, Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Jones County was sold to Gray Memorial Chapel and Crematory , owned by Scott Walston.

The cemetery was previously owned by former Jones County coroner Jerry Bridges . Bridges was arrested and charged in 2020 with mishandling money paid to him by families for funeral services and burials. Walston says the case hit him close to home.

"It was disappointing. Because there's one place you ought to be able to go to do business and feel a sense of trust. And that's when you've had a death," Walston said.

Now, Walston wants to start a new chapter with the cemetery, even giving it a new name.

"Whether it's Bridges Funeral Home, Cedar Ridge Cemetery, I want that gone so that we can start new," Walston said,

Walston says he is worki