2 plead not guilty in funds case
 Colorado City officials accused of misappropriations
 
By Dave Hawkins
Special to the Standard-Times
San Angelo Standard-Times
 
KINGMAN, Ariz. — Two public officials accused of misappropriating funds from the Colorado City Fire District entered not guilty pleas during their Tuesday arraignments in Mohave County Superior Court. Superior Court Judge Steve Conn scheduled Sept. 26 case management conferences in the case against fire district Chief Jacob Barlow, 55, and Colorado City Town Manager David Darger, 41.

The isolated twin communities of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah, are occupied almost entirely by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the sect led by Warren Jeffs, who was recently convicted by a Tom Green County jury of two counts of child sex assault and sentenced to life in prison.

Barlow is charged with 27 counts of misuse of public money and three counts of either participating or assisting in a criminal enterprise. Darger faces each of the three criminal enterprise related counts, but only 10 of the others.

All of the counts involve alleged misuse of fire district funds from February 2004 until April 2010. The counts for Darger involve his previous role as fire district secretary/treasurer, not his general municipal administrative duties.

As a basis for warrants authorizing searches of fire stations and the residences of Darger and Barlow in April 2010, a probable cause affidavit said authorities were investigating questionable expenditures for travel, motels, furniture, computer equipment, groceries and candy.

The indictment earlier this month also alleged that the defendants were responsible for illegal transfers of large sums of money from the fire district to traditional bank accounts that were used to finance illegal purchases. The nine transfers in question involved increments ranging from $8,000 to $38,000.

With no objection from prosecutor James Schoppmann, Conn released Barlow and Darger on their own recognizance and both are free to travel within the United States while their cases are pending. Conn directed the defense to file any grand jury challenges by Oct. 24, and he gave the state 30 days to disclose any of its anticipated witnesses.

The indictments come on the heels of a separate federal investigation of alleged corruption in and around Colorado City. Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan and County Attorney Matt Smyth said their offices have been working with federal officials who conducted interviews earlier this month in Colorado City and Hildale.
 
gosanangelo.com
Originally published August 23, 2011
 
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