Jared Rigby

Introduction

Jared Rigby is the sheriff of Wasatch County, Utah, who in September 2026 was indicted on a second-degree felony count of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor count of making a false statement — over allegations that he tried to use the murder trial of Kouri Richins, one of Utah’s most-watched criminal cases, to undermine the detective who was running against him for sheriff. The details of the allegations became public in early November 2026 when a judge ordered a less-redacted version of the charging document released. Rigby has pleaded not guilty and agreed to take paid administrative leave through the end of his term .

Background Information

Rigby was Wasatch County’s elected sheriff as the 2026 election cycle began. His Republican primary rival was Eric Mainord, a Summit County sheriff’s detective — a campaign matchup that put the incumbent sheriff against an active law-enforcement officer from the neighboring county. Mainord’s employer, Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates, found herself drawn into the case: prosecutors say Rigby met with her in January to share damaging material about her own detective. The same cycle also swept up Dave Edmunds, a former Summit County sheriff, who was separately indicted on an obstruction charge and has also pleaded not guilty .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Indicted; presumption of innocence. Rigby faces untested charges and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty; he has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors allege that weeks before the Richins trial, Rigby sent prosecutors an anonymous letter questioning Detective Mainord’s ethics and credibility — telling them Mainord “is a person that should not be trusted as a law enforcement officer in any community” and urging them to alert the judge to those concerns. The charging documents allege the letter was “crafted to discredit Detective Mainord as a candidate,” and that Rigby sought to use the publicity surrounding the Richins case to pressure Mainord out of the sheriff’s race or publicly discredit him during the trial. Richins, a Kamas mother, was later convicted of poisoning her husband .

The anonymous letter was only part of the alleged scheme, according to the charging records. On January 7 — the same day Mainord filed to declare his candidacy for Wasatch County sheriff — Rigby called the Heber police chief about the status of a public records request seeking Mainord’s personnel records from his employment there, volunteering that “this has nothing to do with my campaign.” That same day, prosecutors say, he arranged a meeting with Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates, showed her the records request carrying former sheriff Dave Edmunds’ name, and told her “this is what’s going to be revealed” about the detective. Bates, according to the charging records, responded: “This feels slimy. This feels dirty. I don’t like this. I think a campaign should be run on integrity and the ability to do the job and not on mudslinging” .

Parts of the records request were handwritten, and prosecutors allege it was actually Rigby — not Edmunds — who wrote it; they allege Edmunds lied to investigators when he claimed he had written the request himself. After the meeting, Rigby texted Edmunds and others that Bates had asked why he would allow “this kind of dirty politics to be played,” adding, “I explained Eric and his team set the ground rules over the last year.” Charging documents also allege Rigby asked the attorney general’s office to investigate Jeremy Hales — the candidate who ultimately beat him — and that the office declined .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The unsealed allegations made Rigby the sitting sheriff of a Utah county facing a felony while still in office. Mainord dropped out of the race in May; Rigby went on to lose the Republican primary to Jeremy Hales, who won the general election and is set to be sworn in as sheriff in January — meaning Rigby’s own campaign ended in defeat inside the scandal the indictment describes. Under the charges, Rigby agreed to take paid administrative leave through the end of his term, and the county restricted his access: reporting around the case noted the sheriff could no longer check warrants or criminal histories after the felony charge .

Current Status

Rigby was indicted in September 2026 on obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, and a misdemeanor count of making a false statement; the less-redacted charging document became public the week of November 6, 2026 by order of 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik. He has pleaded not guilty, is on paid administrative leave through the end of his term, and is expected back in court on February 12, 2027. Co-indictee Dave Edmunds has also pleaded not guilty .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Rigby’s law-enforcement career ends with his term: stripped of his investigative access, on paid leave, indicted on a felony that prosecutors say was committed to save his election, and already voted out by the primary electorate the alleged scheme was meant to influence. The case has also entangled a former sheriff across the county line and forced Utah counties to confront an uncomfortable question their own coverage posed — what to do when an elected sheriff is charged but refuses to resign. For the Richins prosecution, the affair added a surreal postscript: one of the state’s highest-profile murder trials became, allegedly, a prop in a county sheriff’s race .

Sources

• “Wasatch Sheriff Jared Rigby accused of using Kouri Richins trial against election rival” — The Salt Lake Tribune source