Carbon County School superintendent took extra pay, helped steal thousands, police say

Editor's note: Charges against Mr. Park were subsequently dropped in November 2010.

PRICE — The new head of the Carbon County School District was arrested and charged Friday with misusing public funds and helping steal tens of thousands of dollars when he worked as superintendent of Garfield County schools.

George Park, 66, was charged with one second-degree felony stemming from allegations that he signed a fraudulent contract for a former Garfield County School District administrator, police said. The arrest warrant also alleges Park paid himself unauthorized bonuses, gave himself a larger 401(k) contribution than had been approved by school board members and took an unauthorized raise.

"We are aware that Dr. George Park was arrested by the Garfield County sheriff's deputies (Friday)," Carbon School District spokesman Robert Cox said in a prepared statement. "His arrest is not related to his employment in the Carbon School District, and we have no additional information at this time."

Park was hired to lead the Carbon District in May, according to the district's website. The Garfield County School District placed Park on paid leave in June 2009 following a state audit that found the district had been hand-writing checks, overpaying administrators and over-reporting travel.

The audit found $125,000 in potentially fraudulent payments to Park and former business administrator Justin Baugh. To expedite Park's departure, the Garfield County School Board told Park it would not seek to press charges against him if he resigned his post, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.

The school district also agreed to "not make disparaging remarks about him to other potential employers," police said.

Park resigned in April of this year, according to the sheriff's office. The following month, Baugh was charged with stealing between $50,000 and $80,000. He pleaded not guilty to several felony charges.

Charges against Park, filed Friday in Panguitch's 6th District Court, was directly related to Baugh's case, said Garfield County sheriff's spokeswoman Becki Bronson.

Park was being held in the Garfield County Jail, Bronson said, with his bail set at $10,000.

Garfield County school officials did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

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