Boone County Water District votes to suspend its general manager

BURLINGTON, Ky. - The board of the Boone County Water District voted to suspend its general manager during a special meeting Saturday morning.

The board was pressed into action after the water district’s general manager, Phil Trzop, was arrested Friday for allegedly selling scrap metal that belonged to the district and misusing the profits from the sales.

Trzop was elected and sworn in as the mayor of Walton, Ky. earlier this month.

The board told 9 News Trzop will be suspended indefinitely, without pay, until it decides what to do next.

Richard Knock, who currently serves as the water district’s board manager, will oversee day to day operations until the board has determined a permanent solution. Knock is not considered the interim general manager.

Trzop was arrested after a three-week investigation revealed Trzop used cash from the sales of scrap metal to give Christmas bonuses to employees. The more detectives delved into the matter, however, the numbers didn’t match up. Trzop eventually admitted to having money at his house and surrendered it to the investigating detectives.

Any proceeds from the sale should've gone into the county's general fund, detectives said.

Trzop previously served as mayor of Walton for nearly two decades until his defeat in the 2010 election. His election earlier this month marked a return for him to the mayor’s seat of the town of about 3,600 people.