Background photo by allanswart/iStock/Getty Images Plus; composite, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY – A former Iron County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Wednesday to misusing public funds while serving in his previous role as jail commander of the Iron County Correctional Facility.

Galen Bret Allred, 47, agreed to plead guilty to one count of misuse of public money, a third-degree felony.

In exchange for the guilty plea, the Millard County prosecutor Patrick Finlinson agreed to accept a plea in abeyance, dismissing three other counts of the same charge.

Finlinson will move to dismiss the final charge if Allred successfully completes the terms of the arrangement, including paying an $800 fee and not committing any new crimes. He is also ordered to reimburse Iron County for any unauthorized use of county-issued credit or fuel cards, including uses for which no charges were brought or were brought and dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Charges were initially filed in September 2016.

The Millard County Attorney prosecuted the case after the Iron County Attorney’s Office cited a conflict of interest due to its long-term relationship with the defendant.

The Sheriff’s Office first discovered the misuse of public funds around January 2016, Lt. Del Schlosser previously told Cedar City News.

While Schlosser did not provide any details of the internal investigation conducted under his command, court documents state that Allred used a county-issued fuel card to put gas into his personal vehicle. The indictment lists four separate incidents – twice in 2015 and twice in 2016.

Allred resigned in February 2016 after officials learned the details.

Attempts to reach Finlinson and Allred’s defense attorney, Doug Terry, for comment were not successful.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.