Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training, the state council that polices the police, opened an investigation into Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby late last year.
It told KPCW April 29 it closed that inquiry with no disciplinary action against Rigby.
Rigby, who is seeking a third term as sheriff, said in a statement provided by his attorney that he believes the complaint to POST was politically motivated.
“Over the past year, I have been the target of repeated false allegations, each one timed to my campaign for reelection as sheriff of Wasatch County,” he said May 1. “When I decided to run for reelection, I was warned that my opponents would try to destroy my life, have me criminally investigated, and subject me to civil actions.”
KPCW has reported on four investigations into Rigby and his office since March 2025.
Two investigations were conducted in 2025, including a criminal probe by the Cache County Sheriff’s Office and a civil investigation by retired 3rd District Judge Richard McKelvie.
Another inquiry is ongoing. The Summit County Attorney’s Office is investigating Rigby for felony obstruction of justice for allegedly interfering in the recent Kouri Richins murder trial. McKelvie has been sworn in as a special prosecutor for Summit County.
According to Shane Fredrickson, a retired Wasatch County lieutenant, POST was looking into whether Rigby had been dishonest during McKelvie’s initial investigation.
Fredrickson participated in that investigation after bringing concerns about the sheriff’s office to the Wasatch County Council. He said he was also interviewed as part of POST’s process.
“The purpose of the investigation was whether or not he was being truthful under Garrity, is what I was told,” he said.
Garrity warnings caution that law enforcement officers can be disciplined for refusing to answer questions or hiding the truth during an internal investigation.
Fredrickson said during his interview with POST, he was asked about promotional testing in the sheriff’s office.
McKelvie wrote in his report about allegations the sheriff and undersheriff had passed test answers to their preferred candidates for promotion. One witness told the judge that “he almost certainly would not have passed the test but for Sheriff Rigby’s assistance.”
McKelvie said Rigby “flatly denied passing on test questions or answers to candidates.”
When McKelvie interviewed Rigby, the sheriff signed a “Garrity letter” acknowledging that lying could be grounds for POST to suspend or revoke his badge.
McKelvie confirmed to KPCW that he provided his witness recordings to POST in response to a public records request.
Rigby said the POST investigation was one in a string of “false allegations.”
“Each was investigated by a neutral, unbiased agency, and every investigation concluded without a finding of criminal conduct or any action taken against me,” he said.
Rigby asked his counterparts in Cache County to handle the criminal investigation in March 2025.
According to documents obtained by KPCW through a public records request, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office was tasked with determining whether Rigby had interfered with an investigation that eventually reached the Utah Attorney General’s Office. It concerned Mitch McKee, who was then employed at the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.
McKee faces 10 charges of sexually abusing a minor; he’s pleaded not guilty.
One Cache County investigator wrote in his report “none of the individuals who I wanted to speak with would speak to me, including the original case detective.” One potential witness told investigators, “A sheriff investigating another sheriff just doesn’t make sense.”
The Cache County Sheriff’s Office closed its investigation without finding evidence of criminal actions.
As for McKelvie’s 2025 investigation, the retired judge published a 65-page report that detailed allegations of favoritism and retaliation, interference in criminal investigations and misuse of county resources.
McKelvie also recommended eight changes to how the sheriff’s office is run.
Rigby said he believes all complaints against him have been “politically motivated.”
“When you step back and look at the full picture, the pattern is undeniable,” he said. “Every one of these complaints has been investigated, dismissed, and exposed for what it is, a politically motivated attempt to keep me from being reelected.”
Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau told KPCW April 28 repeated investigations into the county’s top law enforcement official are of “serious concern.”
Fredrickson agrees.
“When it comes to honesty and integrity in the law enforcement profession, sheriffs and police chiefs are the guardians of that,” Fredrickson said. “They should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one.”
This winter’s POST investigation was not Rigby’s first encounter with the agency. In 2023, POST rescinded Rigby’s nomination to direct the office after a video surfaced that appeared to show the sheriff warning a new recruit that speaking against the Heber City police chief could carry consequences. Rigby said the video was taken out of context.
Rigby is seeking a third term as Wasatch County sheriff. The Republican will face off against Summit County Detective Eric Mainord and another member of the GOP, Jeremy Hales, in the primary election June 23. No Democrats are seeking the sheriff’s post.
Read Sheriff Jared Rigby's statement in full:
“Over the past year, I have been the target of repeated false allegations, each one timed to my campaign for reelection as Sheriff of Wasatch County. When I decided to run for reelection, I was warned that my opponents would try to destroy my life, have me criminally investigated, and subject me to civil actions. Since then, four separate false allegations have been brought against me. Each was investigated by a neutral, unbiased agency, and every investigation concluded without a finding of criminal conduct or any action taken against me. Most recently, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Division (POST) concluded its own investigation into a complaint filed against me. On March 16, 2026, POST issued a letter of no action in which the Director stated he would not pursue the matter and was not seeking to suspend or revoke my peace officer certification. When you step back and look at the full picture, the pattern is undeniable. Every one of these complaints has been investigated, dismissed, and exposed for what it is, a politically motivated attempt to keep me from being reelected. However, my focus remains where it has always been, serving the people of Wasatch County.”
