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Funeral home president arrested for DUI while transporting corpse
Posted On 24 Dec 2014
Leslie Gambrel
A Corbin woman was arrested early Tuesday morning on I-75 for allegedly driving intoxicated while transporting a corpse to a local funeral home.
Leslie Gambrel, 36, was taken into custody at 2:23 a.m. Tuesday morning after Corbin Police Officer Mike Bisschop pulled her over for a traffic stop in the northbound lane of I-75 between Exits 25 and 29.
“I observed the above violator traveling north on I-75 for several miles between 30-35 MPH,” the narrative on Gambrel’s arrest citation reads.
“The violator was also swerving from the outside fog line across the center line, into the emergency lane and back.”
Biscchop said Gambrel failed several field sobriety tests. She was taken to Baptist Health Corbin, but refused any chemical tests to determine if she was under the influence of drugs while driving.
Biscchop said Gambrel admitted to taking Klonopin, a prescription anti-anxiety drug, and Percocet, a narcotic pain reliever, prior to driving.
At the time of her arrest, authorities say Gambrel was transporting a corpse to Corbin Funeral Home in a blue 1991 Cadillac Deville funeral coach style vehicle used by the funeral home. Corbin Police Department Public Affairs Officer Rob Jones said the vehicle was not impounded and that someone from the funeral home claimed it following the arrest.
There is some confusion surrounding the incident, and one funeral home official denies Gambrel is an employee or that she was transporting a body at the time.
Brian House, a Licensed Funeral Director and General Manager at Corbin Funeral Home, said he was not aware of Gambrel’s arrest and claimed that she was no longer employee of the funeral home.
“She’s not been there in two weeks. She is no longer an employee,” House said. “She gave her resignation the first of December. She got mad at us.”
House did not give any other details of her departure, but he denied that Gambrel was coming to Corbin Funeral Home with a body, and said there were other funeral homes in the area where she could have been transporting the deceased person.
On Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle matching the description of the one Gambrel was driving, with the same license plate number, was parked on Corbin Funeral Home property.
Gambrel was listed, as of Tuesday morning, on Corbin Funeral Home’s Internet website as its Chief Financial Officer, President, Funeral Director and Embalmer. By Tuesday afternoon, however, her name, photograph and qualifications had been abruptly removed from the website.
Before the information was removed, the website said Gambrel had operated Corbin Funeral Home since October of 2012 for her family.
According to the most recent business filings with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office, Leslie Gambrel is listed as the current President of Corbin Funeral Home.
Gambrel is the daughter Thomas Gambrel. He is listed in the same business filings as Secretary, Treasurer and Director of the funeral home. House identified Thomas Gambrel as owner of Corbin Funeral Home.
Calls to Thomas Gambrel seeking comment on the arrest went unanswered. Leslie Gambrel is facing charges of first-offense DUI, reckless driving and driving too slow for traffic conditions. She was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center and released from custody Tuesday morning before noon on a $750 surety bond pending trial.
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Mr House sure did alot of lying to the press. And yes it would take a fool to know see he was lying. I wouldnt take a dog there myself. Why would she be picking up a body in their hearst if she wasnt still employed there.
The hearse that she was driving and pulled over in is pictured on the Corbin Funeral Home website. She was transporting the body of Mr. Huff at the time. Mr. Brian House needs to be held responsible for lying to the news media and others about Leslie Gambrel’s role in this. As serious as her crime was, his effort to lie and cover it up is just as serious. Someone needs to requestion him on this matter and ask him pointedly to respond to the afore mentioned facts.
If everybody that is taking prescription drugs was stopped by the police and arrested, the jails would be full. I do not even know this lady but know several people this has happened to. Over half the people in the U.S. are on some kind of prescription medication. Just about every bottle of medication will say may cause dizziness. If someone has been on xanax, pain medications or klonipin for a prolonged period of time they will have it in their system if tested. Even though the medication level is within therapeutic range that is recommended by the doctor you can be arrested. The tolerance level would be higher for someone on medications for long periods. At two o’clock in the morning, driving down a dark road just because you are driving close to the right doesn’t mean your under the influence. I am not condoning DWI or DUI drivers and I thank our police officers for keeping us safe but I am just saying because a horse has black and white stripes it is not always a zebra.
To John with no last name: All due respect, my issue is not about Ms. Gambrel’s personal issues or the quality of the Funeral Home’s service; they did excellent work and our mother was beautiful. The issue is, the previous management did, in fact create the pre-paid contract, but the fact that we were not informed of any management changes or the potential cost increases prior to the day we had to make funeral arrangements, was just plain bad business practices. To wait until a family is grieving and most vulnerable to spring the cost discrepancy on them is unethical, to say the least. The funeral scenarios are sensitive issues. We had the pre-planned funeral agreement for several years and should have been notified at the time of said “former management” mis-quotes/mistakes. Bad business!
I agree you can be President and not employed at a business. Fact she was transporting a body in the middle of the night in a vehicle registered to the funeral home. Sounds like an employee to me.
I have been to several funerals at Corbin Funeral Home and have never layed eyes on this women before. It says her Dad is the owner, you can still be president of a business and not work there and as for people being after the Gambrels. I have lived in Corbin my whole life and have never heard of them!!! She made a mistake, she was fired!!!! Because one employee is a bad egg dosnt mean the rest are. Actually I’m impressed by their funerals and facilities.
I think what was reported by the News Journal was public records so don’t feel any misinformation was reported. We all make mistakes admit them and try to do better, but to state she is not employed by funeral home when in fact she is the President of the business is wrong. Public record also on Kentucky State website. Cover up gone bad.
Seems like a lot of people are out to get those Gambrels, and I think there are two sides to every story. I know a few of the Lifords and from when I was told it was the previous management that had caused that issue. Also, taking a prescribed medication before bed and not expecting to get a call is hardly drinking a bottle of booze. I know her and her parents and this wasn’t front page worthy. However, I also know when she has her day in court, the news journal better be ready to report that the Gambrels do have enough money to handle this gross misinformation. Typical Corbin.
News Journal is business to provide news correct? I feel if true Ms Gambrel should have thought about her business and reputation before transporting a corpse under the influence. I think some would feel different if it was their family members involved. Sad and really a breach of trust.
Wonder how many other times she has done it and didn’t get caught? Thanks for the info News Journal. At least you had the guts to publish it.
I would be ashamed of some of these comments. My family has recently back in October dealt with Corbin funeral home and couldn’t have been treated any better anywhere.Yes, Ms. Gambrel does seem a little arrogant and untrained in the funeral stuff. but she was nice and the rest of the staff was extremely knowledgeable and helped us immensely. If I was guessing I would say this whole thing is someone trying to get even with somebody else. That’s the way our community works. And I for one am ashamed of it. I am glad that Ms Gambrel did resign. It did seem to us that she didn’t know what she was talking about, but she was very nice and treated us very well. There is so much more news other than trying to ruin someone’s business or personal reputation. I am ashamed of the News Journal and stories like this is probably the reason they are just a once a week paper. I will be cancelling my subscription. I just don’t tolerate people intentionally trying to hurt people’s businesses or reputation. Everyone makes mistakes I’m sure the writer of this story has made a few too!!
Does Brian House think that we are all fools? She was in their hearse? I would think that as manager, you would know if someone had your hearse out.
This is the worst job at covering something up that I have ever seen.
Why is Mr. House lying about this? It’s their hearse! This woman took advantage of our family when our Mother passed away last December. She wouldn’t honor a pre-paid contract and charged us an additional $2,600.00. Crooks!