Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland announced his resignation, effective Aug. 1, seven months after criminal charges were filed against him.

“I’ve become a distraction,” Rowland wrote in his letter of resignation. “Bingham County must press forward with the work at hand, and I do not want to impede that path. Recent events have, at a minimum, focused on me as an individual.”

Download PDF

Rowland’s resignation was emailed out by his new attorney, Dennis Wilkinson, who took over Rowland’s defense in his criminal case after the resignation of his previous attorney, Justin Oleson, on July 13.

Rowland, 62, was charged in December with aggravated battery, aggravated assault and unlawful exhibition of a deadly weapon. He reportedly threatened a woman with a gun in November while she was chaperoning a group of girls who were leaving a note for Rowland’s wife as part of a program with a local church group.

Rowland has worked in law enforcement for 36 years and has been Bingham County’s sheriff since 2012.

As sheriff, Rowland made an annual salary of $88,904.04, according to the Bingham County payroll office. Since Dec. 13, when he was first charged, Rowland has been paid $36,720.20, not including tax withholdings.

“ln considering resignation, I thought about what led me to this career,” Rowland wrote. “The feeling that I was part of something greater organized around worthy goals attracted me to this service. The feeling that I had a role protecting and serving the people in my community was a constant source of motivation during difficult times. I’ve experienced successes in law enforcement that will remain with me.”

After the criminal case was filed against Rowland, many called on him to resign, citing not only the charges against him but comments he made about Native Americans to investigators after the incident.

Rowland reportedly threatened the victim by reportedly grabbing her hair and pulling her out of the car by force and pointing a gun at her, telling her he could shoot her. Several children were in the victim’s car, and they said he pointed his gun at them while looking into the car.

When asked about his actions, Rowland reportedly said he was concerned criminals may be casing his home.

“I have been doing this job for 36 years, I’ve had drunk Indians drive down my cul-de-sac, I’ve had drunk Indians come to my door,” Rowland said, according to the affidavit. “I live just off of the reservation, we have a lot of reservation people around us that are not good people.”

Those comments left Rowland with few allies, as the Fort Hall Business Council, Bingham County prosecutor, Blackfoot mayor, and the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police all called for him to resign in December.

The Idaho Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting Rowland, had requested that his resignation be a condition of his release following his December arrest. A judge denied the request, saying it would mean treating Rowland as if he were already convicted. The judge did, however, order Rowland to surrender all of his guns to Idaho State Police, including a gun issued to him by Bingham County.

A replacement for Rowland will have to be picked by the Bingham County Commissioner’s Office. Commission Chairman Whitney Manwaring said Chief Deputy Jeff Gardner would be running the sheriff’s office in the short term.

A status conference in Rowland’s case is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Bingham County Courthouse.