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SALT LAKE CITY -- Former Cottonwood Heights police officer Beau Babka made a brief appearance in court Tuesday on the felony abuse of public funds charges against him.
Babka stood, stern-faced, with his arms folded at the back of the courtroom until his case was called by 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg. His attorney, Greg Skordas, asked for a resolution hearing, which was set for Feb. 22.
Skordas said the plan at this point is to set a date for a preliminary hearing, though he said anything is possible when it comes to a potential plea deal.
"There's always talks," he said. "That's just the next logical step."
Babka was charged with two counts of misuse of public funds, a third-degree felony, after being accused of using his city-issued gas card to put fuel in his personal vehicles.
A recent audit in Cottonwood Heights allegedly show that Babka used a Cottonwood Heights police department credit card to fuel up a pair of personal vehicles -- one purchase was $22.67, the other $25.50.
Babka told investigators he was left "financially destitute" following his bid for sheriff. He lost that race as well as his 2004 run for Congress. A law enforcement veteran of almost 20 years, Babka served as both the police chief of South Salt Lake and as undersheriff to current Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder.
The maximum penalty for a third-degree felony is zero to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com
