The Utah attorney general’s office has filed criminal charges against the chief of police and the town manager of Springdale, Utah alleging the pair conspired to redirect tens-of-thousands of dollars of traffic fines to city coffers instead of the local justice court.
Town manager Richard Wixom and police chief Kurt Wright are charged with one count each of failure to keep and pay over public money—a third-degree felony.
It is alleged that Springdale police officers were instructed to collect cash fines on the spot from foreign tourists stopped for traffic violations while visiting Zion national park.
Offenders should have been directed to pay fines to the hurricane justice court, which would then allocate the funds to both state and local jurisdictions.
The audit found over $30,000 had been misdirected directly to Springdale city coffers.