Robert GehrkeState Rep. Trevor Lee resigned Monday after being charged with four felony counts of fraud and forgery related to his home mortgage.
He becomes the latest lawmaker to step away from the Utah Legislature after running afoul of the law, with instances dating back to the ’90s. Here are some examples of legislators who have faced their own legal issues.
• In 2021, Rep. Travis Seegmiller was charged with poaching and unlawful discharge of a firearm for killing a deer in a residential neighborhood in Washington County. According to court records, witnesses said they saw a man, who identified himself as Seegmiller, loading the deer carcass into his car. Seegmiller entered a plea in abeyance and after he met court conditions the case was dismissed in 2022. He resigned a month after entering this plea because, he said, he was moving out of the district.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Travis Seegmiller in 2018.
• Rep. Justin Miller resigned in 2015 after being charged with felony communications fraud. Miller, at the time, was the campaign manager for Ben McAdams’ Salt Lake County mayoral campaign. According to court documents, he failed to reimburse the campaign for a $24,300 check he wrote to himself to cover catering costs. Miller pleaded guilty the same day he resigned from the House.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Justin Miller in court for his sentencing to second-degree felony communications fraud in 2015.
• In 2010, Utah Highway Patrol troopers stopped Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack as he was leaving a bar in Millcreek on suspicion of driving under the influence. Killpack resigned a day after the arrest. Killpack pleaded guilty to the DUI charge in 2011.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse.
• When Rep. Mark Walker ran for state treasurer in 2008, he was accused of offering his opponent a position in the office if the challenger would drop out of the race. Walker was charged with attempting to induce his opponent to drop out. Walker resigned ahead of a House ethics investigation. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
• Rep. Cal Bird dropped his reelection bid and resigned from the Legislature in 2004 when it was reported that the prior year he had been cited for solicitation in Salt Lake City. Bird initially pleaded not guilty, but eventually entered a guilty plea that was set aside in 2005 as part of a diversion program.
• Former State Rep. Brent Parker was charged with soliciting sex during an undercover sting operation in Salt Lake City during the legislative session in 2003. Parker resigned his seat and a short time later pleaded guilty.
• In 1991, Rep. Dionne Halverson was cited with misdemeanor shoplifting. Halverson faced an expulsion vote that came two votes short, but was censured by the body. Halverson resigned her seat days after the vote. She pleaded no contest to the shoplifting charge.
