Former mayor, police officer charged in triple slaying

Centerville man had killed two people as a Wyoming policeman

A Centerville man who has been charged with three counts of murder is the former mayor of the town and an ex-lawman with a violent history who has killed before.

Jay Ostrem was also at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the former Centerville police chief more than a decade ago.

Ostrem, 64, has been charged with the shooting deaths of three people, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Tuesday. The shootings occurred Monday night in a Centerville residence. The names of the victims have not been released pending notifications of next of kin.

Ostrem was being held in the Minnehaha County Jail in lieu of a $1 million cash bond.