Jared Rigby tried to use false information, anonymous letters and fellow law enforcement leaders to discredit his challengers and secure a third term as Wasatch County’s sheriff.
Those are the allegations laid out in a less redacted version of Rigby’s state grand jury indictment released Thursday by Utah’s 3rd District Court. The release follows a closed-door hearing Wednesday.
The indictment accuses Rigby of sharing accusations and allegations against his two 2026 Republican primary opponents — Eric Mainord and Jeremy Hales — with Wasatch Back media and other law enforcement officials.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office says Rigby sought to hinder this year’s Kouri Richins murder trial in the process of trying to discredit Mainord.
Rigby was charged in September with second-degree felony obstruction of justice and making a written false statement, a class B misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty.
A grand jury also indicted retired Summit County Sheriff David Edmunds for allegedly lying about helping Rigby. He also entered a plea of not guilty.
Indictment alleges attempt to discredit Eric Mainord
Rigby’s indictment says he circulated allegations that Summit County Detective Eric Mainord was involved with “excessive uses of force, bankruptcies, lawsuits and sex on duty.”
Mainord was a lead investigator on the Richins case who had filed to run for Wasatch County sheriff earlier this year.
Summit County prosecutors say Rigby wrote and sent their office an anonymous letter containing the allegations against Mainord before the high-profile murder trial.
They say the letter questioned Mainord’s credibility and reliability as a witness but that the concern was not sincere.
“The clear and convincing evidence shows that Sheriff Rigby intended to hinder … the Richins prosecution to leverage its publicity to either pressure Detective Mainord to drop out of the Wasatch County sheriff's race prior to the trial or very publicly discredit Detective Mainord during the trial,” the indictment states.
Mainord never testified at the trial and, afterward, dropped out of the Wasatch County sheriff’s race. That was also after the Summit County Attorney’s Office confirmed it was investigating Rigby.
Rigby then lost the June primary to Hales, Wasatch County’s emergency management director.
Former Summit County sheriff indicted
Edmunds’ indictment, released in full Thursday, alleges he hindered the Rigby investigation. He is charged with third-degree felony obstruction of justice.
Investigators say Edmunds lied to them about a December 2025 records request seeking Mainord’s personnel file from his time with the Heber City Police Department.
The indictments allege Rigby wrote the records request. When investigators interviewed Edmunds, he allegedly said he knew who typed it but “was not at liberty to say” who.
Edmunds also allegedly claimed to have handwritten its cover sheet.
“An expert forensic document examiner identified the handwriting on the GRAMA Request cover sheet as Sheriff Rigby's handwriting and ruled out Mr. Edmunds' handwriting,” Edmunds’ indictment states.
Greg Skordas, Edmunds’ attorney, told KPCW they are “looking forward to a speedy and public trial.”
The Rigby indictment says Heber denied the records request. Prosecutors say the request was nearly identical to the anonymous letter.
Other law enforcement officials involved
Rigby presented the same allegations against Mainord to the current Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates at a lunch meeting on Jan. 8, according to his indictment.
A search warrant affidavit states, “Ms. Bates had the clear impression that Mr. Rigby was intimating that unless Mr. Mainord withdrew his candidacy, this information would become public.”
Later that day, prosecutors say Rigby texted a summary of the meeting to Edmunds as well as Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office administrator Leo Lucey and another person whose name is redacted.
The indictment says Rigby texted the group again Jan. 9.
“[B]rothers, I appreciate everything you have done and are doing to help me and to help with this campaign! Love you as brothers and am so grateful to have you!” Rigby allegedly wrote.
According to the indictment, the redacted individual texted: “[t]ime to prepare for our next phase in this battle but battle we will do[.]”
Carpenter allegedly responded: “[w]ell said!! The storm is coming!”
The anonymous letter was postmarked Jan. 10. Investigators say Carpenter denied knowing about it.
Carpenter told KPCW in a statement he was aware of being referenced in Rigby’s indictment.
“My involvement was limited to lawful political activity conducted outside my official duties as police chief. During that activity, I became aware of information that I believed I was obligated to report, and I fulfilled that responsibility,” he said.
Investigators say Carpenter called Bates about the allegations against Mainord within 30 minutes of her meeting with Rigby.
Neither Carpenter nor Lucey has been charged with a crime.
Alleged attempt to discredit Jeremy Hales
Charging documents claim Rigby also worked to discredit Jeremy Hales, the presumptive winner of the Wasatch County sheriff’s race.
Hales had a more than 30% lead after 90% of the ballots were counted in early November.
Prosecutors say Rigby used an anonymous email to tell Hales to drop out of the sheriff’s race in early February.
He allegedly posed as a female coworker and claimed Hales was “intimidating and belittling.”
“You should do the right thing and stop running for sheriff,” Rigby allegedly wrote. “If you don’t I will be forced to make this public.”
Hales told KPCW he initially thought the email was a phishing attempt, and he forwarded it to his IT department. He said he didn’t know about the anonymous letter pertaining to Mainord and declined to comment further.
The indictment says The Park Record and Utah Attorney General’s Office both received anonymous complaints against Hales in March. Prosecutors allege the envelope sent to the newspaper had Rigby’s handwriting.
“Sheriff Rigby asked the Utah Attorney General’s Office to investigate Lt. Jeremy Hales,” the indictment states. “It declined.”
During Summit County’s investigation in June, KPCW received a grand jury subpoena for anonymous letters it may have received about Hales or Mainord. The station objected to the subpoena under a Utah court rule that shields reporters from disclosing unpublished news information.
As previously reported, KPCW received an anonymous email with allegations against Mainord this year. KPCW was unable to confirm the veracity or source of the email at the time.
Rigby is on paid administrative leave through January when his term ends. He and Edmunds are scheduled to appear in court Feb. 12, 2027.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Rigby’s attorney did not comment in time for this report.
