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PRICE — The Utah Attorney General's Office has charged Carbon County Sheriff James Cordova with misusing public money in connection with his alleged use of county-owned vehicles and a county-owned credit card to move to his new house in St. George.
In addition to the third-degree felony charge filed Thursday in 7th District Court, state prosecutors also charged Cordova with a license plate violation, which is a class C misdemeanor.
Over a period of four months beginning in December 2013, Cordova repeatedly used a pickup truck and a search and rescue trailer owned by the county to move personal property from his home in Carbon County to his new home in Washington County, according to charging documents.
During those trips, Cordova used his county credit card 26 times to fuel up in Carbon, Sevier, Beaver, Iron and Washington counties for more than $2,000, the charges state. Cordova also admitted that he switched the license plate on the search and rescue trailer with a plate from another trailer before an April 13 trip to St. George, investigators said.
Cordova declined to comment on the charges when reached through the sheriff's office Thursday.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, in a statement, said his office is "extremely supportive of law enforcement and works closely and effectively with sheriffs' offices throughout the state."
"At the same time, allegations of breaching the public trust are a serious matter, and our office has worked diligently and professionally to investigate and file charges on Sheriff Cordova’s alleged wrongdoings," Reyes said.
Cordova, who was first sworn in as sheriff in 1999, said last year that he would not seek re-election. In December 2013, he purchased the home in St. George. Shortly after, multiple sources say, he was frequently absent from his office.
At that point, responsibility for day-to-day operations of the sheriff's office was delegated to Tom Stefanoff, Cordova's chief deputy. In November, Stefanoff lost his bid to replace Cordova as sheriff.
Republican Jeff Wood will be sworn in as sheriff in January.
Should Cordova, a Democrat, be removed from office or resign, his replacement would be chosen by the Carbon County Democratic Party's central committee, according to party chairman Jason Llewelyn. The person who is chosen would serve the remainder of Cordova's term.
