Someone used a Summit County jail bank account to make more than $40,000 in unauthorized payments to Verizon over nearly three years, and the sheriff's office is investigating who was responsible.

Deputies obtained a search warrant in March 2026 to examine Verizon's records and identify who was behind the payments. According to the warrant, the payments went out once or twice a month from October 2022 to July 2025. The KPCW report that first disclosed the investigation did not clarify whether the payments have stopped or are ongoing.

No arrest has been made. No suspect has been publicly named.

The sheriff's office confirmed the jail account is not funded by taxpayer money but declined to say where the money does come from or who is authorized to access the account. In Utah, jail bank accounts are commonly tied to inmate commissary or trust funds, which hold money deposited by inmates or their families for purchases like food and phone calls. The sheriff's office has not confirmed whether this account serves that purpose.

It remains unclear when or how the office first noticed the unauthorized charges. Sheriff's spokesperson Skyler Talbot declined to answer that question or provide additional details, citing the active investigation.

"The sheriff's office recognizes the importance of transparency and will provide more information when there's no risk it could compromise the investigation," Talbot said.

Several questions remain unanswered: How did recurring payments go undetected for roughly 34 months? Who had access to the account? And if the funds aren't taxpayer dollars, whose money was taken?

The sheriff's office has not announced a timeline for releasing further information or identified any upcoming court dates connected to the case.

Residents with information related to the investigation can contact the Summit County Sheriff's Office at 435-615-3600.