SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Latest on an audit that found two former top officials with Salt Lake County’s firefighting agency may have violated state employee ethics laws (all times local):
6:45 p.m.
A Salt Lake County councilman and former chief of the Unified Fire Authority says a state audit that says he may have violated ethics rules and misused public funds is slanted and unfair.
Michael Jensen said Wednesday night that there are explanations for all questionable expenses and decisions flagged in a report by released by state Auditor John Dougall.
Jensen said he wasn’t ready to go into the specifics of the allegations and explain them. He said he had not seen the report until Wednesday afternoon and did not get any advance chance to respond, unlike the Unified Fire Authority, which received the report last week and was given time to prepare a response.
Jensen said he also welcomes a follow-up investigation Salt Lake County’s auditor announced he would launch Wednesday.
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5:40 p.m.
Salt Lake County is planning to scrutinize travel spending of county councilman Michael Jensen in the wake of a state audit Wednesday that found Jensen, in his former role as chief of the Unified Fire Authority, may have violated state employee ethics laws and misused thousands in public funds.
Salt Lake County Auditor Scott Tingley said Wednesday evening that he owes it to the public to review Jensen’s current spending of taxpayer money. Tingley said he plans to audit Jensen’s spending and that of all other eight members of the council as a precaution. He said it will take about a month to complete his report, which he has not yet started.
Jensen, who stepped down from UFA last fall amid questions about spending, did not return messages seeking comment.
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1:15 p.m.
Utah’s state auditor says two former top officials with Salt Lake County’s firefighting agency may have violated state employee ethics laws and misused hundreds of thousands in public funds and prosecutors should investigate.
Reports released Wednesday by State Auditor John Dougall found former Unified Fire Authority Chief Michael Jensen and his former deputy Gaylord Scott may have spent Unified Fire Agency money on travel to California, baseball spring training in Arizona and computers, tablets, and other technology that appear to be excessive and mostly for personal use.
Jensen and Scott both left their positions last year amid questions about their spending.
Jensen said he left to start a new career path and Scott said he was leaving for health reasons.
Jensen did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Scott could not be reached for comment.
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