The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah News Dispatch.

Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby is under criminal investigation by the Summit County Attorney’s Office for obstruction of justice. Investigators are now questioning whether Rigby attempted to leverage accusations against a political opponent to influence the high-profile Kouri Richins murder case.

According to multiple sources with knowledge of the case, the Summit County Attorney’s Office launched the investigation after a conversation between Rigby and Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates on Jan. 8, 2026, prior to the Richins trial. During that conversation, Rigby allegedly presented an anonymous letter to Bates containing severe allegations about Summit County Deputy Eric Mainord that investigators believe were aimed at discrediting Mainord’s testimony.

Mainord is one of Rigby’s opponents in the upcoming election for Wasatch County sheriff. He was also one of the detectives working the Richins case. He has declined to comment on the letter.

Rigby’s attorney, Blake Hamilton, said he would confer with his client when asked about the investigation but did not comment further.

Kouri Richins is a mother of three who was convicted in March for murdering her husband Eric Richins with a fentanyl-laced drink. She is set to be sentenced on May 13, although her attorneys have asked for the court date to be rescheduled.

Informed sources say Richins’ defense attorneys received a forwarded copy of the anonymous letter, prompting the county to expend additional time and resources to challenge its admissibility in court. The judge ultimately determined it could not be presented at trial. 

Summit County has declined to provide a copy of the anonymous letter or acknowledge the existence of the ongoing investigation. Sources close to the obstruction of justice investigation say detectives have already executed several search warrants to determine who wrote the letter and why it was presented to Summit County shortly after Mainord filed for election. Investigators are also trying to determine whether the allegations contained within the letter were fabricated. Records obtained by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project show that any subpoenas or search warrants related to the case have been “sealed pursuant to court order.”

Under Utah law, obstruction of justice is a second-degree felony involving efforts to “hinder, delay or prevent the investigation, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of any person regarding conduct that constitutes a criminal offense.” 

Rigby has not been charged. He has not responded to requests for comment.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is not participating in the obstruction of justice investigation, and Bates has declined to comment. Instead, the Summit County Attorney’s Office has hired a retired judge with experience investigating Rigby to participate in the investigation.

Sources with knowledge of the case say Judge Richard McKelvie was sworn in as a special investigator earlier this year. In an email, he asked for his status to be converted from “Active Senior Judge” to “Inactive Senior Judge” on Jan. 26, 2026.

“I have been presented with an opportunity to provide public service to Summit County, and the nature of the service is inconsistent with my role as a senior judge,” McKelvie wrote. “This assignment is temporary in nature, and at its conclusion I hope to reinstate my active status.”

Summit County declined to provide records on McKelvie’s employment status, citing an active investigation. McKelvie has declined to comment.

McKelvie spent a large part of his career as a judge in Salt Lake County, but this is not his first time doing work on behalf of another government agency in the Wasatch Back. Wasatch County hired McKelvie in 2025 to investigate Rigby due to a series of complaints alleging he mistreated officers and interfered with criminal cases. Rigby stepped down from his second job as an officer with the BYU Police Department after the investigation. 

Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said the 2025 investigation cost “at least $34,000.”

McKelvie interviewed more than 30 employees of the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office for the 2025 internal investigation. It detailed several reports from officers saying Rigby played favorites and influenced a culture of dysfunction that was so deep that it threatened public safety. The report also described a “rift” between Rigby and other neighboring law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. 

“If a new sheriff came in, and I felt like it was someone who was extremely competent, that relationship would change,” said Frank Smith, who was serving as Summit County sheriff at the time.

McKelvie’s final report listed several recommendations, some of which were implemented by the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office. Rigby was not disciplined as a result of the 2025 internal investigation because elected officials largely have the ability to manage their own departments as they see fit.

The final report from McKelvie also documented concerns similar to those that derailed Rigby’s bid for a powerful state position in 2023. Rigby was just days away from being sworn in as the director of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) until state leaders learned of a video showing Rigby accused of bullying and intimidating a Heber City police officer. Had the appointment gone through, Rigby would have been in charge of training and investigating officers throughout the state.

“I did not see that video prior to the appointment,” said Gov. Spencer Cox at a press conference on Feb. 22, 2023. “I did see it afterwards. It certainly raised some concerns. … I’m grateful we got to the best result, however that had to be, and I think it’s certainly given everybody an opportunity to kind of reevaluate the process.”

Rigby had resigned his position as sheriff in 2022 in order to accept the POST director position. When he did not get the job, Wasatch County allowed him to return in 2023.

Dave Edmunds, another former Summit County sheriff, has also been the subject of a search warrant tied to the obstruction of justice investigation. Edmunds is a known friend and associate of Rigby. Prior to the cancellation of Rigby’s appointment, Edmunds publicly stood up for Rigby before the POST Council in January 2023.

“Jared Rigby is an exceptional man. He worked for me for many years,” Edmunds said. “There is not a better man on this planet to take the job of POST Director than Jared Rigby.”

Greg Skordas, an attorney representing Edmunds, confirmed that his client is complying with the search warrant and the active investigation tied to the anonymous letter. Skordas is also representing Dave Booth, the former chief of the Heber City Police Department. Booth has also been served with a search warrant, according to Skordas.

“(Investigators are) trying to figure out if there was any sort of issue that occurred with respect to the anonymous letter,” Skordas said.

Skordas said neither of his clients authored the anonymous letter.

The Utah Investigative Journalism Project asked if the allegations against Mainord from the anonymous letter were factually accurate.

“That’s a matter of opinion, so I’d prefer not to answer that,” Skordas said.

Rigby became sheriff in 2018 with the endorsement of Todd Bonner, the former Wasatch County sheriff. Bonner now says he regrets the endorsement. Rigby ran for reelection in 2022 unopposed. He has also served as the chair of the Wasatch County Republican Party. 

Mainord confirmed he is continuing his bid for Wasatch County sheriff but otherwise declined to comment given his current position with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

“I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation right now but if that changes at some point in the future we can certainly readdress things then.”

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