MACON, Ga. — On Thursday, former Jones County coroner and funeral home owner Jerry Bridges pleaded guilty to 43 fraud related charges. One charge for each person he stole money from.
"Nothing there. All $14,000," says Don Bailey, one of the 43 defendants.
Bailey was one of them. He says he first met Bridges in 1991 when his wife and daughter got in a car accident. His daughter died, then years later, his wife died.
He says he didn't know his money from his own pre-paid lot was gone until he saw reports that Bridges was arrested in June of 2019. He says the guilty plea today brought some comfort.
"I bet that's about as good as it's gonna get for us," he says. "The fact that he pleaded guilty, I think he's maybe gonna take some responsibility for this. I don't really know what's in his heart from the beginning of this until now."
Documents show that Bridges took anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to $18,000 from one family.
Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece says this is only the first step in what will be a long process.
"Glad to finally see some movement on this, you know -- it's been going on for a long time. We still holding out hope to find some money somewhere to help most of the victims," says Reece.
Reece says they haven't received much help from the state so far. For Bailey, he says he's learned to be at peace with it.
"You got to laugh at some of this. If you don't, you gonna cry. It ain't gonna do any good to hate him, I mean, what's that going to do? You're not gonna like it," says Bailey.
Bridges is scheduled to be back in court on December 10th for his sentencing.