Wasatch County Sheriff’s Lt. Shane Fredrickson claims he raised concerns about the department’s leadership a year ago, which he contends were then “swept under the rug.”
His attorney sent a letter to the county council Jan. 31, stating Fredrickson, the investigations division commander, filed a formal grievance about Undersheriff Josh Probst’s conduct and actions during multiple high-profile cases.
As undersheriff, Probst is the highest-ranking non-elected official in the department.
Fredrickson’s letter, shared with KPCW, goes on to claim he has been subject to retaliation from both Probst and Sheriff Jared Rigby over his February 2024 complaint.
But the sheriff's office told KPCW it was Fredrickson who had behaved improperly, leaving the office no choice but to take disciplinary action against him.
Fredrickson’s attorney, Jeremy Jones, said his client has personal concerns but also wants to see the Wasatch County Council address what he called a broader pattern of behavior in the sheriff’s office.
“It’s really a broader issue, right?” he said. “I think that his concerns about the way that office is being run go much deeper than just how it’s personally affected him, and so he’s trying to get the word out, and hopefully right-thinking people will do the right thing in response to this.”
According to Jones, Fredrickson’s first misconduct concern stems from an unsuccessful SWAT attempt to arrest Wasatch County resident Donald Ball for violating the terms of his probation in November 2023.
Ball was shot and killed by a Summit County deputy a day later, when he ran toward the deputy with a steel pipe during a traffic stop. According to Jones, the undersheriff allegedly blamed Fredrickson for the failed SWAT operation not going as planned.
Jones said his client believes the undersheriff unfairly punished Fredrickson’s son, then a patrol sergeant with the sheriff’s office, for the unsuccessful operation. Rigby told KPCW the son recently resigned.
The second incident involved an investigation into a missing child, later found to be dead. The baby’s mother was sentenced to three years in jail Wednesday morning, Feb. 5.
In the letter, the attorney writes that the undersheriff allegedly “directly influenced WCSO deputies to stop working a missing infant case because of his subjective and unfounded belief that the child was not in danger.”
Jones said Fredrickson recommended Heber police continue investigating when an officer voiced his concerns. The Heber City Police Department and the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office share an investigative unit.
“And then it was within a matter of days that they discovered that the child was deceased,” he said. “And so, there’s some concern that had that case not been approached in a dismissive way by the undersheriff, that maybe that whole thing could have been prevented.”
Fredrickson further alleges Sheriff Rigby changed his grievance letter about Probst to a “personnel complaint,” investigated it himself and determined those concerns were unfounded.
Jones’ letter also states that in fall 2024, Fredrickson was asked to investigate whether a junior deputy mishandled evidence. Later, the undersheriff allegedly said Fredrickson violated department policy and acted insubordinately during the internal investigation.
Jones said potential disciplinary action related to that investigation is part of the reason his client is speaking out now.
“The timing is obviously interesting, right?” he said. “You know, a formal complaint gets filed, it gets ‘investigated’ in air quotes, and then recharacterized and closed, and then all of a sudden, my client’s getting micro-analyzed.”
Rigby told KPCW there’s nothing suspicious about the timing.
“Despite our best efforts to help Mr. [Jones’] client understand the law and policy and to keep his behavior within those bounds, he has continued to disregard our direction and guidance and expose the office and the county to liability,” he wrote. “As such, [Mr. Jones’] client has left us no choice but to engage in progressive employee discipline with oversight from the county organization. This process and oversight has spanned more than one year.”
Rigby said Fredrickson was placed on paid leave in late January for “recent alleged misconduct,” and the county manager and county attorney are involved in the disciplinary process.
Two other sheriff’s office employees have since left the agency, according to Rigby: Fredrickson’s son resigned to work for a different law enforcement agency, and Fredrickson’s friend retired.
Jones told a different version of the story. He said his client was concerned about a “lack of consequences” for top-ranking officials in the sheriff's office.
“There’s been some concerns about the way this office has been run for quite some time,” he said. “But what hasn’t happened is anything appreciable in the way of change regarding how the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office is being run, and that’s pretty curious under the circumstances.”
Jones pointed to the case of a Heber City Police officer Rigby allegedly intimidated in 2021. The incident drew statewide attention when Rigby was nominated to lead the state’s law enforcement training office in 2023, and it ultimately cost him the job.
On KPCW’s Local New Hour Tuesday, Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said his office is handling the allegations in Jones’ letter carefully.
“Anytime we get complaints like this, it’s a very serious matter and something that we always look to following every applicable law and policy,” he said. “This is going to be no exception.”
Grabau said he is working with the county attorney to determine next steps.
The letter alleges Rigby and Probst violated the Utah Protection of Public Employees Act. It asks the Wasatch County Council to conduct its own investigation into Fredrickson’s complaints.
It’s not yet clear how or if county councilmembers will be involved.
Jones said if the council fails to investigate, Fredrickson may file a lawsuit.
