Spanish Fork couple accused of taking money from shooting association

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah County couple is facing criminal charges after authorities claim they confessed to misappropriating funds from a recreational organization they belonged to.

Information from charging documents indicate that between March 2011 and September 2012, Heath and Vivian Sabey used approximately $30,000 in money from the Utah State TrapShooting Association to pay off their own personal expenses.

At the time, Heath Sabey was the president of the association, which is headquartered in Utah County, while his wife Vivian was acting as treasurer. The couple had access to the Association's bank accounts and wrote checks along with withdrawing cash from the accounts without authorization

The charging statement said that an association debit card was used for improper transactions, and Heath Sabey collected money on behalf of the association without depositing it into the organization's accounts. His unauthorized expenditures totaled $23,397.

Meanwhile, while serving as treasurer, Vivian Sabey allegedly wrote unauthorized checks against the association's account, including one to her husband. The document states that she misused $6,745.

Authorities said that when interviewed, Heath Sabey admitted using the association's credit/debit cards numerous times for his own personal gain and paying personal bills with the funds.

— Jasen Lee, Twitter: JasenLee1