Eagle Mountain councilwoman faces charge

PROVO — A member of Eagle Mountain's City Council has been charged with a felony for allegedly accepting $10,000 from a developer.

The Utah County Attorney's Office on Friday filed a second-degree felony charge of "accepting a gift," accusing Linn Strouse of failing to disclose that she had received more than $1,000 in July 2005 as a "gift."

"If there's some type of a favor involved, that would always be a concern," said Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander. He said the money could "improperly influence" Strouse in her role as an elected official.

The $10,000 was a gift from John Walden, often referred to as the founder and main developer of Eagle Mountain.

Walden said Strouse and her husband discussed concerns about losing their home and asked for his help. The gift was given to help finish Strouse's basement so family members could move in to help take care of Strouse's husband, Dave, who has since died of cancer, he said.

"Linn and Dave assured me that I would be repaid out of Dave's death benefit," Walden said. "When the County Attorney office requested information from me, I did cooperate. It saddens me that Linn has now been criminally charged."

Walden said he did not have a conversation with Strouse about reporting the money.

"I expected that Linn would comply with the reporting that Utah law requires of public officals who receive gifts," he said.

Strouse, who earned enough votes in the primary election Tuesday to advance to the general election in November, is in her second term on the City Council. Her term expires in January 2008. She was elected in 2002 for a two-year term and re-elected in 2004.

Strouse also served as interim mayor for less than a month last October and early November after former mayor Brian Olsen resigned. Olsen was investigated for misuse of public funds and is facing seven felony charges in 4th District Court.

And the mayor before Olsen also faced legal troubles. Kelvin Bailey resigned in June 2005, a year after pleading no contest to providing false information to police for faking his own kidnapping.

The investigation into Strouse had nothing to do with the investigation into Olsen, Grunander said. He also said the Utah County Attorney's Office received a complaint about Strouse in November.

"Like any complaint, we checked into it and determined that it had some merit, so there was an investigation that was initiated," Grunander said.