CLEVELAND, Tenn. (AP) — A former crematory operator who admitted dumping 334 bodies and passing off cement dust as their ashes pleaded guilty Friday to Tennessee charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Ray Brent Marsh, 31, listened to a series of statements from Tennessee relatives of those whose bodies were mishandled at his Tri-State Crematory in Georgia and then apologized.

Marsh could be eligible for parole in four years, Circuit Judge Carroll L. Ross said in handing down the sentence.

The sentencing was part of an agreement between officials in Tennessee and Georgia, where Marsh pleaded guilty in November to 787 counts of theft, abuse of a corpse, burial service fraud and making false statements.

The deal calls for the Tennessee sentence to be served concurrently with the same recommended sentence in Georgia followed by a lengthy probation, defense lawyer Ken Poston said.

``It's basically to coordinate two states and the interests we're negotiating in both states,'' Poston said. ``It's not a perfect process, but we're doing the best we can.''

Marsh was to be returned to Walker County, Ga., later Friday.

He faces sentencing there on Jan. 31. If Judge James Bodiford does not approve the sentence agreed to by defense lawyers and prosecutors, Marsh can withdraw his plea