County prosecutors say former Eagle Mountain Mayor Brian Olsen was reportedly taking travel reimbursements for meetings and conferences he didn't attend or that didn't happen.

They charged Olsen on Monday with seven counts of misusing public funds, third-degree felonies. The dates of the alleged crimes are Feb. 22, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 8, Sept. 5, Sept. 15 and Oct. 10. His first court appearance will be Nov. 17.

Olsen resigned from office Friday, citing "family and personal considerations." Councilwoman Linn Strouse has been appointed mayor pro tem.

Olsen was unavailable for comment Monday. But his attorney, Peter Stirba, said: "The mayor has just become aware of the charges. They are just allegations, and in our system of justice he is presumed innocent. That is all that we can say for now, but at a more appropriate time and in a more appropriate forum we will address directly the allegations."

The council members who knew about the investigation were told by the county attorney not to talk about it with anyone, including other council members.

Councilman David Lifferth said in a written statement Monday that on Oct. 4 he learned that a whistleblower had come forward with documentation of a questionable financial transaction by Olsen. He then sought and received confirmation of this documentation.

Councilwoman Heather Jackson also knew about it. She said, "David Lifferth and I advised that the evidence be brought forth through the proper channels. We advised the city attorney be informed." The city attorney then advised that the county attorney be informed.

"I have been Mayor Olsen's friend and vocal supporter of policies and actions that he and I have agreed on," Lifferth said. "However, I have zero tolerance for misuse of taxpayers' dollars. It is with a heavy heart that I called on Mayor Olsen to resign and remove himself from the day-to-day operations of Eagle Mountain so that the business of the city can proceed forward unimpeded by this controversy. I call on Mayor Olsen to return all money that he is not legally entitled to receive."

Councilman David Blackburn was one of the council members unaware of the investigation. Councilman Vincent Liddiard said he found out about the investigation Friday.

"This was definitely a surprise," Blackburn said. "I raised some questions about mileage that were addressed publicly and later in some private conversations. I thought it was all resolved."

Earlier this month, on accusations that Olsen had given himself an "$8,000 raise through mileage reimbursement," Olsen held up what he said was proof that he has been reimbursed $3,100 for travel since Jan. 1, though he said he could request reimbursement of up to $8,000 per year. He also said he had cut $12,000 of automatic travel reimbursement that was given to the former city manager and former public works director.

At the same meeting, Olsen also defended himself against accusations he'd kept financial reports from City Council members. He said a council member had asked to take and copy the records, then bring them back. Saying he was concerned about losing original records, he offered to have them copied instead.

This isn't the first time Olsen, who was elected in 2005, has had to answer questions about his integrity. He was criticized shortly after taking office when the public learned he'd lied about having a master's degree. The Utah Highway Patrol, his employer before he became a full-time mayor, launched its own investigation into the degree matter. Olsen ended up resigning from the agency. He had taken an unpaid leave of absence from the agency when he took office.

Those who supported Olsen for mayor say he and the city have accomplished goals during his tenure, including recent water rights acquisitions, city growth and securing approval for Walden Park.

Dee Scott, a neighbor and supporter, said, "My husband and I did support Brian Olsen and we believe the city does need a full-time mayor. We hope this matter can be resolved and the city can move forward."

In a news release distributed by the city, Strouse said, "It is an unfortunate truth that Eagle Mountain City has dealt with controversy within the city administration in the past; however, it is a testament to the effort of the current City Council and the staff that the city continues to thrive in spite of these challenges. It is our desire that anything that can be done to prevent these negative issues from occurring in the future, will be done."

Liddiard said the events of the past week will likely have an effect on future Eagle Mountain officials.

"City officials should be held to high standards, and citizens will be watching closely current and future candidates," Liddiard said.

Reporter Katie Ashton contributed to this story.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.