The investigation stems from Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby’s alleged conduct ahead of the high-profile Kouri Richins murder trial. Rigby told KPCW he acted within the law.
According to attorneys who represent parties in the case, the alleged conduct is also related to the upcoming Republican primary election for Wasatch County sheriff. One of Rigby’s two challengers is Summit County Detective Eric Mainord, one of the lead investigators of the Richins case.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson confirmed her office was investigating Rigby in a statement to KPCW May 1.
In an earlier statement, her office said it received an anonymous letter in the mail Jan. 22. What it contained had “potential implications” for the trial, which was then just one month away.
“The county attorney’s office had a duty and has a continuing duty to investigate the letter’s contents and the circumstances surrounding its delivery,” the attorney’s office said April 24.
Mainord was on the Richins trial witness list, but did not testify. He filed to run for Wasatch County sheriff Jan. 7.
“I understand there’s an active investigation on whether an anonymous letter was extortion or blackmail to get Eric out of the election, and — when that didn’t work — an effort to sully him as a potential witness in a murder case with false statements about him,” Rick Van Wagoner, Mainord’s attorney, said. “If any of that is true, that could be a serious crime by whoever was behind the anonymous letter.”
Rigby, who is seeking a third term as sheriff, acknowledged the investigation is “tied to events in Summit County” in a statement to KPCW provided by his lawyer.
“I acted lawfully and I am confident of the outcome,” he said.
Rigby also pointed to the election as the reason for the controversy.
“This is not the first time politically motivated complaints have surfaced during election season, which is why I am calling for an immediate investigation by a law enforcement agency that is neutral, unbiased and free of legal conflicts,” he said.
Olson said the investigation arises from Rigby’s “conduct, not a complaint against him.”
“Sheriff Rigby previously filed a motion in the 3rd District Court for Summit County to disqualify the Summit County Attorney’s Office from investigating him,” she said. “After briefing and a hearing, Judge Richard Mrazik declined to remove us from the investigation.”
The Utah Investigative Journalism Project, in partnership with Utah News Dispatch, first reported on the obstruction of justice investigation April 23.
According to the report, Rigby met with Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates in early January to express concerns about Mainord after the detective declared his candidacy. Bates declined to comment May 1.
The alleged meeting was weeks before the Summit County Attorney’s Office says it received the anonymous letter it is now investigating.
Because of its “potential implications” for the Richins trial, prosecutors may have been legally required to turn it over to the defense. Richins’ attorney, Kathy Nester, declined to comment.
In March, Richins was convicted of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, a first-degree felony.
Obstructing a first-degree felony case would be a second-degree felony under Utah law, punishable by one to 15 years in prison or a $10,000 fine. Rigby has not been charged with a crime.
Two days before the trial began Feb. 23, KPCW received an anonymous message from an encrypted email service expressing concerns about Mainord’s alleged conduct when he worked at the Heber City Police Department.
The writer claimed to have been a past colleague of Mainord’s with “personal knowledge” of the allegations. The email also alleges that the Summit County Sheriff’s Office overlooked concerns in Mainord’s file when it hired him in 2019.
KPCW has not verified the veracity of the claims, and Heber City denied a public records request for Mainord’s file. It’s not clear if KPCW and Summit County received the same allegations.
KPCW also filed a records request with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office seeking a copy of the letter. Summit County denied the request, adding, “for clarification, the record you requested is in the custody of the Summit County Attorney’s Office, not the sheriff’s office.”
“The record is classified as an investigative record and is therefore exempt from disclosure,” the denial said.
An oath of office KPCW obtained through a records request shows retired 3rd District Judge Richard McKelvie, who has previously investigated Rigby, was sworn in as a special prosecutor for the Summit County Attorney’s Office on Jan. 25, three days after the office received the anonymous letter.
The judge told KPCW he changed his status with Utah State Courts from “active” to “inactive” to facilitate doing public service work for Summit County, but did not share any other details.
Summit County’s investigation is the fourth known probe into Rigby's conduct since March 2025.
Last year, the Wasatch County Council hired McKelvie to investigate Rigby and the sheriff’s office.
The judge conducted over 30 interviews and published a 65-page report last September detailing allegations of favoritism and retaliation, interference in criminal investigations and misuse of county resources. It also included a set of recommendations for reform.
McKelvie’s civil investigation came at the same time as a Cache County Sheriff’s Office criminal inquiry that found no wrongdoing.
Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said April 28 his county is cooperating with Summit County’s “ongoing investigation.”
“They [Summit County] have made requests of the county, and the county has complied with those requests,” he said.
Grabau said repeated investigations into the county’s top law enforcement official are of “serious concern.”
“Any time there is a criminal investigation into a county official, it’s something that we sit up and take notice of,” he said. “Whether those are founded concerns or not, they still have an impact on the public’s perception of our services, as well as our ability to communicate with the public and instill trust in them.”
Since the sheriff is an elected official, the county council cannot place him on leave or take many other actions.
Meanwhile, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training, the council tasked with policing the police, confirmed to KPCW April 29 it has closed its own investigation into Rigby with no disciplinary action.
Rigby, Mainord and another Republican, Jeremy Hales, will face off in the primary election June 23. No Democrats are seeking the sheriff’s post.
