Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Local Man on Felony Charge

Jeffrey Clovis Kennimer, 43, was arrested on July 27, 2026, by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office on a serious charge involving the handling of human remains. According to official jail records, Kennimer was taken into custody and booked into the Kaufman County facility shortly after 1:00 p.m. that afternoon.

Arrest Details and Charges

Kennimer, a resident of the area, faces one count of abuse of a corpse without legal authority. The offense is listed as having occurred on the same day as his arrest. Following his intake at the Kaufman County jail, he was placed in housing unit C1B-03. At the time of this report, the total bail for the charge had not been set by the presiding magistrate.

The arrest was made by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, which also serves as the charging agency for the offense. While the investigation remains ongoing, no further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident have been released by law enforcement at this time.All suspects are innocent until proven guilty

Under the Texas Penal Code Section 42.08, abuse of a corpse is an offense committed when a person, without legal authority, knowingly disturbs, damages, treats in an offensive manner, conceals, buys, sells, or illegally moves a human corpse or its cremated remains. 

Prohibited Acts

A person breaks this law if they do any of the following without legal permission: 

Disturb, damage, dissect, carry away, or treat a human body (or body parts/cremated ashes) in an offensive way.

Hide a body knowing it was dug up illegally.Buy, sell, or trade a human body.Move a body out of the state of Texas unlawfully.

Vandalize or treat the resting place or grave of a human body in an offensive way. 

Penalties

State Jail Felony: Most offenses involving the direct abuse, trafficking, or illegal-moving of a corpse.

Class A Misdemeanor: Vandalizing, damaging, or treating a burial space or grave in an offensive manner. 

Charges

Charge: Abuse of Corpse Without Legal Authority
Bond: Not set
Charging Agency: Kaufman Co SO
Offense Date: 07-27-2026