Judge sentences former corrections officer to jail term

By Sun Advocate

On Monday, the 7th District Court sentenced the county’s former chief corrections officer to serve 90 days in jail on felony level and misdemeanor category theft charges.
Robert F. Krajnc appeared before the district court on July 28 at the sentencing phase in an amended criminal information containing two separate counts, one third degree felony level and one class A misdemeanor category theft offense.
Presiding on the district bench, Judge Lyle R. Anderson sentenced Krajnc to an indeterminate 0-5-year term in the Utah State Prison in connection with the criminal convictions and ordered the defendant to satisfy $7,860 plus applicable interest in connection with the felony level case.
The court subsequently stayed the execution of the indeterminate prison term and, imposing one-year sentence in the Carbon County Jail, placed Krajnc on probation under the direction under the direction of the Utah Department of Corrections for 36 months.
As conditions for formal supervision, the district judge instructed the former jail commander to undergo DNA screening, cover the costs associated with completing the testing procedure, carry a criminal offenders identification card and pay the department of corrections monthly fee.
In addition, the court directed the defendant to publish a letter apologizing to the citizens of Carbon County for the alleged thefts of public money and instructed the defendant to violate no criminal statutes throughout the 36-month formal probationary period.
In conclusion, Judge Anderson suspended all but 90 days of the one-year sentence and ordered Krajnc to voluntarily report to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office by 5 p.m. on Aug. 4 to commence serving the remaining jail time.
On Jan. 30, the Utah Attorney General’s Office filed a formal criminal complaint charging the county’s former chief corrections officer with two second degree felony theft counts.
Outlining the cash handling process in place at the Carbon County Jail when the thefts purportedly occurred, the affidavit of probable cause supporting the felony case pointed out that corrections officers collected bail on arrested subjects and commissary monies for incarcerated inmates.
One of Krajnc’s official duties as the commander involved tranporting envelopes containing cash collected at the jail and depositing the revenues into the county correctional facility’s bank accounts.
Starting on or about May 2002, the affidavit contended that Krajnc removed cash from the envelopes and never deposited the funds into the county jail’s commissary or bail accounts. Instead, the defendant purportedly kept the cash for personal benefit.
The affidavit of probable cause contended that the discrepancy between the cash received at the jail and the amount of money deposited into the inmate commissary account registered at $9,800. With regard to the missing cash bail revenues, the affidavit estimated that $5,930 was collected, but never deposited.
Filed Jan. 30 in the district court, the original criminal complaint charged Krajnc with one second degree theft offense in connection with the missing inmate commissary revenues and one second degree theft count in connection with the missing bail funds.
Appearing before Judge Anderson on April 25, the former jail commander waived the right to trial before the defendant entered guilty pleas in the amended criminal information containing the lesser included third degree felony and class A misdemeanor theft charges.