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A former Cedar City police officer accused of defrauding worker's compensation insurance has resolved the criminal case against him.

Jason Steven Thomas, 41, was originally charged in September with third-degree felony fraudulently obtaining workers' compensation insurance, as well as misdemeanor attempted theft by deception.

Earlier this month, he pleaded no contest to an "unspecified infraction," and was ordered to pay a $480 fine and obtain a mental health evaluation focusing on "thinking errors.

The plea was held in abeyance, meaning that if he pays the fine and obtains the evaluation, the case will be dismissed in six months.

Thomas' attorney, Blake Hamilton, said Monday that his client had been accused of driving his police car to doctor appointments, and then submitting mileage reimbursements to worker's compensation insurance. Those reimbursements are only intended for wear-and-tear on personal vehicles, Hamilton said, not city-owned cars.

But as soon as the error was brought to his attention, Thomas paid back the entire amount, his attorney said.

"I really do believe this was an honest mistake," Hamilton said.

The defense attorney said Thomas had been seeing doctors for a number of work-related injuries, including being shot by a suspect nearly a decade ago. A bullet-proof vest mitigated Thomas' injuries, but Hamilton said that since then, the officer was also involved in a serious car wreck while on duty and received a concussion when he assaulted by a man he had arrested.

Thomas medically retired from the police force earlier this year, Hamilton said.

In the criminal case, Hamilton said his client was not willing to plead to an infraction unless it did not contain the word "fraud," which is why he instead pleaded to an "unspecified infraction."

"The state wanted him to have some repercussions for making the mistake," Hamilton said. "… But Jason was very adamant. He didn't want to have to stand up and plead to something where his character was being called into question."