Phil Trzop Boone County Sheriff's Office

(Florence, Ky.) – The Mayor of Walton is in jail, just days after winning the election and taking office.

Phil Trzop, 62, allegedly took scrap metal from the Boone County Water District, where he is the general manager.

Trzop allegedly sold the scrap and took the money. An investigation by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office initially found that he used the money to give Christmas bonuses to employees.

“However, the more the detectives delved into it the numbers just didn’t match up. Trzop finally admitted to having money at his house and relinquished it to the detectives,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Tom Scheben.

Trzop was arrested Friday morning on a charge of Abuse of Public Trust, a Class C felony punishable by five to 10 years in prison. He was held in jail on a $50,000 cash bond.

Trzop was elected Walton’s new mayor on November 6.