Summit County officials will not face criminal charges for killing a bull elk on the 910 Cattle Ranch last August, after two separate reviews by the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the Summit County Sheriff's Office found the euthanization was justified.
The decision, confirmed Friday, July 24, resolves a months-long controversy that erupted at a June 24 public hearing on the ranch's recreation plan, when longtime hiker Leslie Miller told the Summit County Council that county officials had shot "a struggling bull elk at nightfall" without required state permission.
"I don't know that anybody's been held accountable for that or if there's a justifiable explanation," Miller said at the hearing.
The 910 Cattle Ranch, located at 10063 N. East Canyon Road north of Jeremy Ranch, is Summit County's largest-ever open space acquisition at more than 8,500 acres, purchased for $55 million using $15 million from the 2021 voter-approved Open Space Bond and $40 million from a federal Forest Legacy Grant.
Records obtained by the Park Record through a public records request show what happened on Sunday, August 31, 2025: Summit County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby found the elk stuck and immobile in a mud wallow that afternoon and texted Jeremie Forman, a Sheriff's Office deputy who serves as warden on the ranch and also as mayor of Francis. Kirby suggested checking on the animal the next day.
Before Forman arrived, a group of hikers including local attorney Christie Babalis and the cousin of the ranch's previous owner spent about an hour pulling the elk from the mud with help from a rancher. Babalis told the Park Record she saw the elk stand up and that none of the hikers observed puncture marks or visible bruising.
Forman returned that evening and found the elk unable to stand, even after he grabbed it by the antlers. He shot it three times in the head at approximately 9:04 p.m., according to a county volunteer who reported hearing the gunshots.
Before shooting, Forman contacted Summit County Dispatch to reach a DNR officer but was told no one was on duty. After leaving the ranch and regaining cell service, Forman learned DNR officer Nick Vidrine had in fact been available, contradicting what dispatchers told him. The two met the following Tuesday to investigate.
A DNR necropsy found pre-existing wounds "that may have indicated that the elk was suffering," and Forman's follow-up investigation documented bruising and trauma on the elk's sides, neck and back consistent with rut fighting activity. No puncture wounds from gunshots, archery equipment, or antlers were found.
The DNR issued a revised statement Thursday, July 23, correcting an earlier version that had claimed the agency "coordinated with Forman and advised to euthanize the elk." The corrected statement confirmed Vidrine was notified only after the elk's death. The agency said it trusts law enforcement partners to make euthanization decisions so animals do not suffer unnecessarily.
Babalis, who takes office as District 4's County Council representative in January 2027, acknowledged the confrontation with Kirby. She said she has apologized for harsh words and does not expect the incident to affect her working relationship with county staff.
Sgt. Skyler Talbot of the Summit County Sheriff's Office told the Park Record the department first evaluated criminal charges when the incident occurred and declined to pursue them. After Miller raised the issue at the June 24 hearing, the Sheriff's Office and DNR reviewed the case a second time and "arrived at the same conclusion that nobody's conduct that day warranted any further criminal investigation," Talbot said.
