Mayor Bryan Burrows charged BEFORE Nov. 4 Election Day; Court filling of charges not made until AFTER the election

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Your officially elected Mayor is on Probation in Sevier County

Click on image above to see larger.

As I said before — Mayor Brian Burrows is Bad for Richfield!

In my opinion, as I stated before, I believe Mayor Burrows is completely  disingenuous. 

What he did recently — BEFORE the election —falls squarely in the category of moral turpitude, in my opinion. 

File this story that you will read below, under the “you can’t make up this stuff” heading. 

RECALL! RECALL! RECALL!

Richfield Mayor Bryan Burrows, who was re-elected in a very tight contest with his opponent, Tyson Hansen, was charged October 24, 2025 with “unlawful taking of protected wildlife while trespassing” and “improper discharge of dangerous weapon — 600 feet of building.” 

Yet, as you can see from the Sevier County Justice Court document shown above, this wasn’t documented by the court until November 6, 2025 — TWO DAYS AFTER the City of Richfield Mayoral election, which Mayor Burrows won. (See court document below. Story continues after the image.)

Let me ask you, Richfield mayoral voters: had you known of these charges, which Mayor Burrows pled guilty to, would you still have voted for him? 

As a publicly elected official, representing the City of Richfield at the highest level, don’t you think the Mayor should exhibit the highest ethical and moral standards among all of the citizens there? Should’t the bar be set high for this?

Burrows is the Mayor. Burrows is a hunter. Burrows knows the rules. Burrows knows what he did was wrong; after all, he pled guilty to the charges.

So many questions: 

  1. Who’s property was this?
  2. How did Mayor Burrows gain entry to it?
  3. How did Mayor Burrows get into a secured, locked property?
  4. Did Mayor Burrows have some sort of master key?
  5. City of Richfield voters — would you have made a different choice had you known of this incident BEFORE the election?
  6. Would you have voted for Burrows’ opponent Tyson Hansen instead?
  7. Should Mayor Burrows face further legal consequences related to this matter?
  8. Should the City of Richfield mayoral results be overturned?
  9. Should the City of Richfield have a special election to allow voters to elect a Mayor knowing all the facts?

Doesn’t this rise to the level of recalling Mayor Bryan Burrows? Keeping detrimental information about his illegal behavior quashed until after the election? 

I’m guessing this isn’t over. 

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Rocky Mountain Power, I have a question for you: Was this pole installation authorized by RMP? In my opinion, RMP is liable for Damages to my Home and Property

(Click on image above to see identifying marks up close.)

What was Rocky Mountain Power’s (RMP) role in the installation of the poles along the 11th fairway at Cove View Golf Course, which borders my Richfield property?

Mayor Bryan Burrows should know. He works for RMP as a lineman. 

Were these RMP poles? I’d like to know the origin of the polls. I watched RMP equipment and employees do the work of putting them in. (See pole photos at top and in other posts on this site.) I watched Mayor Burrows on location overseeing the poles being installed and doing hands-on work in manipulating and positioning the poles. I took photos and videos. 

  • What do all the markings mean on them? Can anyone help me with identifying what those markings are?
  • In my opinion, Rocky Mountain Power is liable. It was their equipment and their employees that did an inadequate job, and my house and property continues to this day to sustain damage. 

Bottom line is, Rocky Mountain Power looks like they were very involved. And the remediation was a failure.

  • RMP equipment
  • RMP employees
  • Damage to my house and property continues

Golf balls! It’s raining golf balls!

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There is no end to it. Cloudy, sunny, windy, calm. If it’s golfing weather, that means golf balls will be raining down on my house, property, and hapless guests who come to visit me. Not even pets are safe. 

I own a home along the 11th fairway of the Cove View Golf Course in Richfield, Utah. I’ve been living there for eight years. It’s a beautiful spot (see photo below from my yard looking across the 11th fairway and up into the mountains).

But it’s not as idyllic as it may look. I’ve been in a constant battle with both the course and the city since I bought the place over being barraged on a daily basis by golf balls.

View from my backyard of the 11th fairway at Cove View Golf Course, Richfield, Utah. A beautiful spot if there wasn’t continual bombardment by golf balls.

I’m on the right side of the fairway, about 150 yards up from the tee box. Apparently that’s a perfect landing spot for sliced balls.

The golf balls started raining down. And didn’t stop. It almost never stops — only if the weather is too inclement for golfers to be out, or it’s dark. 

My garage doors — and they are not standard-sized garage doors, they’re enormous, and big enough to accommodate a tractor trailer — have been destroyed and need to be replaced. That, however, won’t solve the underlying problem. That would be like treating someone suffering a compound fracture with a band-aid. It’s not going to get better. You’re not addressing the root cause of the problem. 

So here we are. Eight years after I bought the house, eight years of being literally hammered with golf balls, and the problem still persists. When I initially bought the home, golfer traffic at the course was relatively low. An occasional golf ball would be the problem. However, in about 2020, things picked up on the course. The number of golfers grew; the errant golf balls got more intense. 

Nothing the golf course or the city is doing or has done has resolved this problem. They’ve placed nets up; they’re not high enough. They moved the tee box on the 11th up, shortening the hole from a par 5 to a par 3; my other neighbors started to complain, so they moved the tee box back to it’s original spot. The logic for doing that? “Well, Steve’s gonna sue us anyway, so …”

Mayor Brian Burrows’ interaction with relevant parties: What is GRAMA?

In Utah, GRAMA refers to the Government Records Access and Management Act, a state law that grants the public the right to access government records while also allowing for the restriction of certain information to protect privacy or public policy interests. 

People can submit a GRAMA request to any Utah government entity to obtain public records, though certain records classified as “private,” “protected,” or “controlled” may not be released without a specific exception or court order.

GRAMA is essentially Utah’s open records law, which is analogous to the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

There were some doozies in the documents that were released, including a couple emails that went back and forth, which I can sum up this way: 

Perfect. Just how decisions should be made, don’t you think? (Huge amount of sarcasm there … )

Overview: Cove View Golf Course and the “Leadership” of the City of Richfield

My visitor’s damaged car windshield.

I need to provide context for this website, and explain why I’ve been pushed into taking action, both in launching this website, and launching legal action in trying to get this resolved. 

I live near the intersection of 1600 W and Cove View Rd., tight along the right side of the par-5, 11th hole fairway of Cove View Golf Course. When I bought the house 8 years ago, errant golf balls were not as big of a problem as they are now. Had I known that would become a problem, I never would have bought the house. I’m not a golfer and know nothing about golf etiquette. The house suited my needs as far as solid construction and garage space.

I have been subjected to the constant barrage of golf balls pelting me (yes I’ve been hit by errant balls while at home), my house, my cars, my property, and my guests. 

Cars have been damaged, my ATVs have been damaged, my house has been hit numerous times and my garage doors bear the marks of many dings from golf balls striking them over the years. 

I thought this home would be a place of respite. It is anything but that. I don’t even like inviting guests over for fear of their vehicles being damaged from balls that are sliced into my driveway. 

The totally inappropriate text my guest — whose windshield was smashed — received from a man named Gary Graham, the guy who hit a golf ball into it. (Edited to downplay the cursing language.)

One recent guest, who many in town know well, had his windshield smashed and then had to suffer the indignity of the person who did it cursing at him in texts about getting his windshield replaced. 

It’s got to stop. My close friends and family don’t even like coming to my house because of the fear of flying golf balls. One close friend said recently, “It’s nerve-wracking and not even restful there anymore. You can hear golf balls hitting the house all day long.” 

Not only that, but the drunken, belligerent golfers seem to think they’re entitled to give me a piece of their minds when a sliced golf ball lands in my yard and they come looking for it. It can get ugly. 

So this is it. I’ve tried to work with the city’s leadership, including current Richfield Mayor Bryan Burrows; the course’s PGA pro, Todd Mullen; and various other officials and representatives for years, and nothing has worked. 

This isn’t the first time that a golf course (and the PGA) has been sued to recover damages from this sort of thing, and unfortunately, it won’t be the last. 

But they’re going to hear from me now. And I’m not going to give up until I have my property secured and my peace of mind set at ease. 

Attorney’s letter sums things up nicely

In a letter to Richfield City Mayor Bryan Burrows, Richfield City Admin/Recorder Michele Jolley, and PGA golf pro at Cove View Golf Course Todd Mullen, an attorney representing me has laid out the eight-year-long struggle I’ve been having with trying to solve the ongoing problem of me, my house, and property being pelted with golf balls on a regular basis. 

Did Mayor Burrows, who works for Rocky Mountain Power, pay for this pole installation or did he just borrow the equipment? I want to see receipts.

The view from my house: Pole installation underway along the right side of the 11th hole fairway at Cove View Golf Course.

Four years ago, on Election Day 2021, Bryan Burrows was elected over his opponent, Angie Stubbs, by a vote of 1,134 to 958. Not exactly a mandate in Richfield. A difference of 176 votes. A pretty slim margin, even for Richfield.

Now the incumbent Mayor Burrows is up against Tyson Hansen, former Finance Director for the City of Richfield. I’m not here to endorse Mr. Hansen. But I was told he knows his way around the city. Knows the movers and shakers of Richfield, and has a much more vast depth of knowledge appropriate for someone who would be heading up the administration of Richfield.

As you’ve noted in your bio, Mayor Burrows, before becoming Mayor of Richfield, you worked for Rocky Mountain Power for 44 years, first as a journeyman lineman and then as a line foreman.

I’m curious — Rocky Mountain Power — weren’t they the ones who got the contract to install the poles for the net along the now-infamous Cove View Golf Course 11th tee box and right side of the fairway? Isn’t that their truck shown in the photograph above parked along the 11th hole fairway getting ready to set the pole?

If you blow up the image above, you’ll just barely be able to make out the Rocky Mountain Power logo on the door of the truck.

Was there a contract drawn up for Rocky Mountain Power’s pole installation? Was there a competitive bid for the project? Did you profit from using Rocky Mountain Power to do the installation for the city of Richfield / Cove View Golf Course? I’d love to see the numbers and the contracts for this project. Especially since it has been completely ineffective in stopping the barrage of balls from hitting my property.

Questions about pole setting with the use of Rocky Mountain Power’s equipment … how was RMP reimbursed for the use of their equipment?

I have questions:

1) Where’s the contract, receipts, itemized line items and checks paid for purchasing of the poles and their installation? 2) How much did the trucks cost that were used to install the poles, and who got the contract — or got paid — for that? 3) What about the labor for the installation of the poles? 4) Was Rocky Mountain Power aware that their equipment was being used for this installation?

Click the play button to watch above video.

This post is addressed to Lineman Burrows — the Bryan Burrows, currently Richfield Mayor, who proudly lists “lineman” in his bio, who once did work that included things like install equipment ranging from utility poles to power lines to crossarms, insulators, switches and switchgear; equipment testing, including conductors, switches, voltage regulators and transformers. You climbed poles and transmission towers and dug holes and set poles using construction equipment. 

So I’m thinking, I’d love to see the financials for the work done on the pole-setting — not the netting, just interested in the pole-setting — along the 11th fairway at Cove View Golf Course. I’m talking about receipts and  copies of cashed checks for the work. It would be interesting to see where Richfield’s money went when it came to erecting the poles and netting along the 11th fairway. 

I’d like to see line item, itemized receipts and checks for all money spent to procure and install those poles. Where did the money go? Who profited for that kind of work? I’m just asking questions here that any Richfield citizen paying property taxes might ask in trying to find answers and satisfy a curiosity as to how public Richfield money was spent on this project.

You have a special expertise that you bring to your current role as Mayor of Richfield (soon to change come Nov. 4, 2025 I hope). 

Yet, all through your tenure as mayor — from January 2021 to now, as we approach Election Day 2025 — a man who worked as a former lineman, could not put a solution in place. If there ever was a sweet spot between mayor, lineman, golf course, damage from golf balls, poles and netting, this would be it. 

Golf balls — I’ve got golf balls by the hundreds

Golf balls. I’ve got golf balls by the hundreds. The photos you see above and below are just a sample of the golf balls I’ve collected that have landed on my property along the 11th fairway of the Cove View Golf Course.

The pounding my property takes is unrelenting. The proof not only is in the damage to my house, my garage doors, my vehicles, my visitors’ vehicles, but also in the drawers of my tool boxes. Just take a look at the photos above. What you see is only about 9-12 months’ worth. 

For the kids …

The two small clear plastic containers of white balls you see above are ones I have on hand to give away to young child golfers who go by when I’m outside and see them. I’ve already given away several tubs of golf balls. 

I collect more on a daily basis. 

It’s got to stop. 

Mayor Bryan Burrows — I’m not a registered Utah voter; is that why I’m getting treated as a second-class citizen? Even though I’m a tax payer?

On his Facebook page, Bryan Burrows says he is or has been a “husband, father, fireman, lineman, farmer, and Mayor of beautiful Richfield City, Utah.”

And he notes that he is running for re-election for mayor in 2025.

Mr. Mayor, if I were a constituent of yours, I’d be a very unhappy one. 

I have spent years trying to get successful resolution to the problem I’ve been having living next door to the 11th hole at Cove View Golf Course. I’ve tried working with the city of Richfield for 8 years. I’ve been working with you. I’ve been working with the Cove View Golf Course. 

I’m not a registered voter in Richfield. And it’s clear to me that if you’re not a registered voter in the state of Utah, as far as Mayor Burrows is concerned, you don’t count. It’s not about the good of the town, it’s about who can — or can’t — vote for Burrows.

 

 

The Jolley Letters — Not so Jolly, #1 — Steven A. Hansen, are you an attorney who gives legal advice?

Click on image above to see full-size, legible copy.

My attorney has been given letters written by Michele Jolley related to correspondence regarding my ongoing issues with Cove View Golf Course, its management, the city of Richfield, and its various decision-makers, specifically current Mayor Bryan Burrows. (See one above.)

The “Steve” she is referring to in the letter is not me; it is Steven A. Hansen, CEO of UtahTrust.gov. I suppose Michele, who is the Richfield City Admin/Recorder, must have asked for and gotten some answers from Mr. Hansen regarding how to deal with me and my ongoing complaints about being in a golf course firing zone with inadequate protection for my house, cars and property, which are bombarded daily with amateur golfers’ errant golf balls. 

I’ll break down the letter shown above briefly for you: 

Uh-oh. I guess that doesn’t look good for me. They, “don’t want to set a precedent for future complaints.” 

The letter is replete with typos and misspellings, as you can see by reading it. Ultimately, it appears it doesn’t bode well for me, because Cove View Golf Course PGA Pro Todd Mullen figures I’m going to sue them anyway so just move the tee box back to its original position. 

Let me tell you, the complaints will not stop until this matter is successfully resolved, and I no longer am bombarded by flying sliced golf balls hitting my house, my cars, my visitors’ cars, and even me. The only time this barrage stops is at night, when the course is closed and there are no golfers about. This is a beautiful place to have a home; but I shouldn’t be held hostage during daylight hours by all these golf balls flying about, which can cause some significant damage. And money — like putting up netting that is ineffectual, or offering to replace my damaged garage doors (a significant cost) — doesn’t matter. It won’t bring an end to this happening. 

Jolley Letter #2 — Michele Jolley, your letter is clearly libelous; I will be seeking clarity as to where you got your information

Point of Clarification to the letter of July 2, 2025 seen below: This is an open letter to Michele Jolley — Ms. Jolley, you need to get your facts straight. You’re now opening another door in your assumptions and allegations that you threw at me in this letter. You stated that I “threatened to personally sue the mayor and do everything he can to sabotage his re-election campaign.” I can tell you, that at the writing of this post, I am currently seeking legal opinions to find out if I can sue you for libel, and Brian Burrows, Cove View Golf Course PGA Pro Todd Mullen, and Mike Jorgensen, personally, for a multitude of things. That’s not a threat, that’s a promise. As to sabotaging his re-election campaign, you’d better be able to prove that (all I have to do is tell the truth; truth is not sabotaging), because I said nothing of the sort. As for the $1.3 million for my home, the actual offer was for $1.25 million for my home and the lot next door. That number is supposed to be reflective of the costs to reconstruct my house exactly as it already is. 

Click on image above to see full-size, legible copy.

Several months after that first letter that my attorney and I were able to see, a second letter was generated by Michele Jolley, Richfield City Admin/Recorder (shown above), asking for further help regarding my situation. (See initial letter in separate post.)

The letter again was to Steve Hansen of UtahTrust.gov and also was copied to a UtahTrust.gov consultant, Josh McKell. Mr. McKell is a consultant working on the “Risk Finance” team at UtahTrust.gov. Perhaps this kind of issue has been of some concern to other golf courses around the state. That’s just speculation.

In reading the letter, it’s clear that Michele and all involved are in CYA mode — and all the adults in the room know what that is.

Richfield, Cove View Golf Course, and the course’s PGA pro, Todd Mullen, seem much more interested in the CYA aspect of their conflict with me rather than actually resolving the conflict.

They’re worried about liability and lawsuits, not fixing the problem.

Here’s my note to them: fix the problem. Then you won’t have to worry about liability and lawsuits and “risk finance” issues.

 

A question for Steven A. Hansen of UtahTrust.gov: I have questions about former president and executive director of UtahTrust.gov; this goes a long way towards the credibility of your organization

Click image above to see expanded image file. This image is used under the Fair Use doctrine. It is publicly available. To see the entire spreadsheet, click here: Utah.gov

INFO re: J. Stephen Flitton, Former President and Executive Director, UtahTrust.gov

In my research on all things connected to the Cove View Golf Course, the city of Richfield and those involved in decision-making, remediation and communication regarding my numerous complaints over the eight years I’ve lived along the 11th fairway at the course, I’ve found some interesting information. 

Not the least of which is regarding the UtahTrust.gov organization’s former President and Executive Director, J. Stephen Fitton. 

For example, I’ve found on the utah.gov website — the state’s official website — that apparently Flitton was terminated by UtahTrust. There’s a note in a spreadsheet I’ve downloaded (see section above, at top of post) that reads: 

  1. “Requesting access to tape recordings or minutes of the Board’s “executive session” regarding J. Stephen Flitton conducted on May 17, 1999. (item #4 in appeal #2019-145)”
  2. Another entry reads, “Requesting fee waivers and access to employment termination records of Flitton, Hanks, and Farrell. (items #1, #2, #3 in appeal #2019-145)”

These were notations in an Excel spreadsheet related to an apparent court case, Brady Eames v. Utah Local Governments Trust (ULGT). Each of those listed items above were marked “Approved” on Jan. 6, 2020 (the first note) and Jan. 20, 2020 (the second note). 

I find this highly curious. Under what conditions was past President and Executive Director Flitton terminated? That’s not a good mark to have on your record. 

I’m seeing and smelling a little smoke here. I’m going to keep working to see if there’s an actual fire somewhere. 

What or Who is UtahTrust.gov?

UtahTrust.gov — not an official governmental agency of the state of Utah.

What is UtahTrust.gov, you ask? According to our research, it is a risk mitigation organization providing specialized insurance products and services to Utah’s public agencies. In Utah, “UtahTrust” primarily refers to the Utah Local Governments Trust, which serves over 550 municipalities, including cities like Richfield, towns, counties, and special service districts. 

It was established in 1974 and focuses on providing tailored insurance policies and risk management programs specifically designed to meet unique needs of government entities.

Key services offered by UtahTrust include:

  • Specialized Insurance Coverage: This includes policies like Public Officials Errors and Omissions, General Liability, Auto Liability, Property, and Workers’ Compensation, with customized terms and conditions.
  • Loss Prevention: The Trust offers a range of tools, training, and assistance to help members identify, prioritize, and mitigate risks, including on-site surveys and training events.
  • Claims Services: They directly manage claims, working with members to navigate the process and make decisions to protect resources.

Utah Local Governments Trust is self-funded, meaning its operations and programs are financed by the revenue generated from its insurance services and investments; it is not directly funded by taxpayers. It is not an official government agency. This ensures that UtahTrust can provide specialized services while maintaining financial independence and benefiting its members through rate stability and expanded coverage.

So don’t let the “.gov” fool you. It’s not a true government agency, such as the entity, Utah.gov, which is the state’s official governmental organization and website. 

Drunken Behavior and Ineffective Cove View Golf Course Marshals

Surprise, surprise, amateur golfers drink while playing.

You know what this leads to: over-exuberance either when playing well, playing poorly, or especially when encountering golf course residents when those amateurs try to retrieve an out-of-bounds (OB) golf ball. And especially when that golfer has just bombed a house. Which happens on a nearly daily basis at my house along the 11th fairway.

The drunken behavior of golf course patrons fan be astonishingly crude. And vulgar. And what usually happens? Nothing.

From what I’ve seen during my 8 years living along the 11th fairway is that there is no oversight by golf course marshals — if there even are any. These golfers are not held accountable.

From what I’ve experienced — and this is anecdotal — it seems like Cove View Golf Course has a hard time hiring marshals and keeping them once they’ve been hired. It seems like they are mainly leaning on volunteers. These “marshals” may spend the day driving around the course, but do nothing to enforce golf course rules, etiquette or behavior of golfers.

Things need to get tightened up at Cove View Golf Course.

Living adjacent to the Cove View Golf Course in Richfield comes at a cost — I paid for half of the cost of the initial netting …

Failed & torn netting along the 11th fairway at Cove View Golf Course next to my house.

When I initially bought my home, along the 11th fairway of the Cove View Golf Course in Richfield, Utah, the golf course player traffic on its fairways was relatively low. 

An occasional errantly hit golf ball would be more of a nuisance, not the kind of  problem it’s evolved to be. 

Then, about five years ago, in about 2020, activity picked up on the course; the errant golf balls got more intense; they grew from a nuisance to a steady barrage.

At that time, the Richfield Mayor was Dave Ogden. He was an absolutely wonderful man to deal with. He was resolution-oriented, unlike current Mayor Bryan Burrows, who seems to have an arrogant attitude towards outsiders — such as me, a “Move-In” as they sometimes refer to me.

Mayor Ogden was so kind and wanted to be so helpful, that I agreed to pay for half of the cost of the initial net installation to try to help protect me and my property. 

We got them installed, but by 2021, those nets were destroyed. (See photo above)

Porch pirate pilfering golf balls from my porch, 7-18-2021.

In addition, the behavior of the people on the golf course got increasingly worse. As you also will see from the two pictures above, people became bold and brazen in their conduct. I’ve said I’m no golfer and I don’t know much about golf etiquette, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t include stealing golf balls that were sitting on a resident’s porch. Yes, as I’ve documented from these  photos taken on July 18, 2021 (at right, and below), it became so bad that people were coming onto my front porch to steal golf balls I had collected that were sitting on my outdoor furniture. These weren’t treats that I was setting out for Halloween trick or treaters. 

It looks like an adult sent this young boy to be the thief that day. 

Porch pirate: getting away with the goods.

When Mayor Burrows took over, he haphazardly listened to me and put up poles and nets that were too short and not wide enough. After several text exchanges with him and Cove View Golf Course PGA pro Todd Mullen, it was clear to me that my words were falling on deaf ears. It was more important to Richfield Mayor Burrows to take care of the people who lived and could vote there, rather than the “Move-Ins” like myself who were part-time residents. 

Mr. Mullen and Mayor Burrows clearly made their decisions to cater to voters as seen in this letter below, written by Michele Jolley:

It’s amazing that Mr. Mullen, is not only a PGA pro, but also an expert in legalities. He made the decision after my neighbors complained that he should restore the 11th tee to its original location, because, as the letter states, I would be suing them anyway. 

Unthoughtful assumptions by unthoughtful people. Again, catering to locals and voters. 

As I have now learned, Mr. Mullen is moving on to work in the church full time. I say good riddance.