Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby, former Summit County sheriff indicted on obstruction charges

PARK CITY, Utah — A grand jury has indicted Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and former Summit County Sheriff David Edmunds on felony obstruction charges following a Summit County investigation that involved allegations about a detective who investigated the Kouri Richins murder case and briefly ran against Rigby for sheriff.

Rigby, 49, was indicted on a second-degree felony count of obstruction of justice in a criminal proceeding and a class B misdemeanor count of making a written false statement, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Edmunds, 54, was indicted separately on a third-degree felony count of obstruction of justice in a criminal investigation.

Both men pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Summit County’s 3rd District Court.

The indictments do not identify the specific item Rigby allegedly used or the writing he allegedly submitted, nor do they identify the false information Edmunds allegedly provided to investigators. An indictment is a formal accusation and is not a finding of guilt. Prosecutors will have to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The charges follow a criminal investigation by the Summit County Attorney’s Office that became public in May. Charges were unsealed on Wednesday, but the indictments outlining the allegations remained redacted. A hearing regarding whether those redactions should also be made public is scheduled for Nov. 4.

At the center of that investigation was an anonymous letter the office received in January, shortly before Richins’ murder trial began. According to a search-warrant affidavit unsealed in August, the letter contained 13 allegations concerning Summit County Sheriff’s Detective Eric Mainord and raised questions about his credibility as a potential witness in the case.

Connection to the Richins case

The investigation unfolded alongside the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who was convicted in March of killing her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Mainord was listed as a potential witness in the murder case but ultimately did not testify.

Richins’ attorneys have since pointed to the investigation into Rigby as part of their effort to challenge her conviction. In September, her attorneys asked a judge to delay consideration of her request for a new trial while the potential impact of the Rigby investigation was explored. A judge denied that request, although Richins was given additional time to submit arguments supporting a new trial.

The exact contents of the anonymous letter remain unavailable publicly.

The election

The allegations also unfolded during the Wasatch County sheriff’s race.

Mainord withdrew from the race in May, while Rigby advanced to the Republican primary against Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales. Hales defeated Rigby in the June primary and will face no Democratic challenger in November.