HEBER CITY, Utah — Wasatch County officials are planning to issue a formal call for Sheriff Jared Rigby’s resignation at a county council meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The proposed resolution comes after the sheriff was indicted weeks ago on a charge of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, and a misdemeanor count of making a false statement. Prosecutors allege he interfered with the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband.
Rigby has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Grand jury indicts Wasatch County sheriff, former Summit County sheriff:
The county council can’t force Rigby to leave his job because he was elected to the role — but passing a resolution would increase pressure on the sheriff to leave. The officials noted in their proposed resolution that Rigby has lost access to a critical private statewide law enforcement database because of the charges, and would have to sign a visitor log and be escorted through the sheriff’s office building so he is not exposed to non-public information.
It would be “difficult,” the proposed resolution says, for Rigby to run the sheriff’s office given these restrictions.
Without access to this restricted database, Rigby can’t check active arrest warrants or criminal histories, the resolution says. He also can’t access information to serve criminal warrants or run clearance checks before releasing inmates from the jail.