The Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. (AP) - A former Price city councilman and career police officer has pleaded guilty to felony charges that he illegally received three paychecks from public coffers.
Henry Joseph “Joe” Christman, 48, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of misusing public money, a third-degree felony. Seventh District Judge Bryce Bryner suspended a one-year jail sentence and ordered Christman to complete two years probation.
Christman, who resigned his Price city council post in October, admitted to taking a paycheck simultaneously from the state, where he worked as a licensing investigator, and the cities of Sunnyside and Helper, where he worked as a police officer, between a one-year span ending last January.
“It is clear that while he was operating a state vehicle and being paid to work for the state, he was also being paid by these other agencies,” said prosecutor Patrick Nolan.
Christman was also sentenced to 80 hours of community service, a $1,850 fine and $2,688 in restitution.
As part of the plea bargain with prosecutors, Christman also surrendered his police certification, meaning he can no longer work in law enforcement.
“This was a violation of a public trust,” Nolan said. “Because he’s a career law-enforcement officer, it’s the state’s position that he should have known better.”
Prior to working for the Sunnyside and Helper police departments in Carbon County, Christman served more than 20 years in the Utah Highway Patrol, from which he retired.
He had been a member of the Price City Council since 2002, when he was appointed by the mayor and council to fill a vacant seat.
He also was employed as an investigator for the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.