Now, less than a year after leaving that job to become Eagle Mountain's mayor, he is running into it.

On Monday, Olsen was charged with seven third-degree felony counts of misuse of public funds - just three days after he abruptly resigned from Eagle Mountain's top elective post.

A news release from the Utah County Attorney's Office said the allegations "relate to funds paid to Mayor Olsen as travel reimbursement or advanced travel expenses for meetings or conferences, which Mayor Olsen either did not attend or which were not held."

Utah County Attorney Kay Bryson said his office launched an investigation three weeks ago after several Eagle Mountain employees grew concerned over Olsen's reimbursement requests.

"I've never charged a public official with this particular offense for this reason [travel costs]," Bryson said Monday.

A longtime prosecutor, Bryson said he could not offer details because the investigation is continuing, but he left open the possibility of more charges being filed in 4th District Court.

Bryson said each count involves amounts less than $5,000. Any misuse of public monies up to $5,000 ranks as a third-degree felony under Utah law; anything more than that becomes a second-degree felony.

Olsen, who could face up to five years in prison on each count, did not return calls Monday. But his Salt Lake City attorney, Peter Stirba, issued the following statement:

"The mayor has just become aware of the charges. They are just allegations and, in our system of justice, he is presumed innocent. That is all that we can say now, but at a more appropriate time, and in a more appropriate forum, we will address directly the allegations and the information."

Court files obtained Monday did not detail the seven times Olsen allegedly misused taxpayer funds, but they did give dates for the charged offenses. The most recent occurred Oct. 10, while the first was Feb. 22.

City Council members, who voted senior Councilwoman Linn Strouse as mayor pro tem on Saturday, expressed regret Monday that more negative light is falling on Eagle Mountain, which in its nearly 10-year history has yet to have a mayor who served an entire term.

Former Mayor Kelvin Bailey resigned in June 2005, a year after pleading no contest to faking his own kidnapping and filing a false police report. During last fall's campaign, Mark Lofgren lost in the mayoral primary. Reports surfaced earlier that he had pleaded guilty to felony theft 15 years earlier as a 19-year-old.

"We're a small city with big-city problems," Councilman David Blackburn said Monday.

And those problems - like the Utah County city itself (with a booming population topping 14,000) - are getting bigger, now that its former chief executive faces multiple felonies.

Council members Heather Jackson and David Lifferth said they encouraged Olsen to step down when they learned about the evidence mounting against him.

"I have been Mayor Olsen's friend and vocal supporter of policies and actions that he and I have agreed on," Lifferth said. "However, I have zero tolerance for misuse of taxpayers' dollars."

Jackson said she was distraught when she learned of the accusations, but said the city now has an opportunity to unite.

"We can now put Mayor Olsen in our past and start moving forward," Jackson said. "We have to grow and improve as we recover."

The tumultuous ending to Olsen's short-lived first term culminated a rocky 10-month administration.

In May, Olsen admitted he lied to voters about having a master's in public administration from Brigham Young University. Later that month, he quit his UHP job and acknowledged he wore a ribbon on his uniform touting the academic credential he never obtained.

More recently, he clashed with council members over budget issues and a pornography scan he demanded of their city-supplied laptops.

In an Oct. 3 council meeting, Olsen responded to a list of allegations, including illegal budget transfers, unjustified staff firings and accusations that he gave himself an $8,000 raise through travel reimbursements.

"No one likes to have their city drug through these kinds of terrible tragedies," said resident Royce Van Tassell, a former city spokesman. "It's a tragedy for the city; it's a tragedy for all the people involved."

Bryson said a court date has not yet been set for Olsen.

"It is an unfortunate truth that Eagle Mountain City has dealt with controversy within the city administration in the past," Strouse said in a statement. "However, it is a testament to the effort of the current City Council and the staff that the city continues to thrive in spite of these challenges."

toddh@sltrib.com

* DEBBIE HOOGE: Appointed by Utah County Commission in December 1996; elected in November 1997 and served until September 1998, when she resigned.

* ROBERT BATEMAN: Appointed in October 1998 and served to January 2000.

* PAUL BOND: Elected 1999 and served remainder of Hooge's term until January 2002.

* KELVIN BAILEY: Elected in November 2001 and served until June 2005, when he resigned.

* VINCENT LIDDIARD: Served as mayor pro tem from July to August 2005.

* DAVID LIFFERTH: Appointed August 2005 and served until December 2005.

* BRIAN OLSEN: Elected November 2005 and served until Oct., 20, 2006, when he resigned.

* LINN STROUSE: Named mayor pro tem Oct. 21, 2006.

Within 30 days, City Council members must select an interim mayor. Voters then will elect a permanent replacement to complete the final two years in Olsen's term.

Since its incorporation in December 1996, Eagle Mountain has never had an elected mayor finish the full four-year term.