The Summit County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday, July 28, that more than $40,000 in unauthorized payments from a jail bank account was the work of an outside fraudster, not anyone on staff.

Sgt. Skyler Talbot, the department's spokesperson, told the Park Record there is no reason to suspect any current or former Sheriff's Office employees were involved in the alleged theft.

"This is being investigated as an external criminal fraud matter and not as an internal personnel investigation," Talbot said.

As we reported July 23, deputies discovered that someone had been making unauthorized payments from a Wells Fargo account used to fund jail expenses. The money went to Verizon once or twice a month from October 2022 through June 2025, according to a search warrant affidavit cited in the Park Record's report.

The Sheriff's Office filed the warrant in March 2026 to obtain Verizon's records and identify who was behind the payments.

No arrest has been made. No suspect has been publicly named. The department has not said when or how it first noticed the unauthorized charges, and it has not announced any upcoming court dates or a timeline for releasing more information.

The jail account is not funded by taxpayer money, according to the Sheriff's Office. Officials declined to say where the funds come from or who is authorized to access the account.

Talbot said the department would provide additional information when doing so would not compromise the criminal investigation.

Residents with information about the case can contact the Summit County Sheriff's Office at 6300 Justice Center Rd., Park City.