Officials remain silent regarding Rawlins fire chief arrest

RAWLINS – Following the arrest of John Rutherford, the current Rawlins Fire Chief and Carbon County Fire Warden, officials have remained relatively silent when pressed on the matter.

Both Rawlins City Mayor Robert Grauberger and Carbon County Commission Chairman John Johnson declined to comment. Johnson said he wouldn’t comment until after he talks to the rest of the commissioners next month, while Grauberger noted he wanted to wait for court procedures before addressing the occurrence.

The Rawlins Police Department was also contacted regarding the arrest; however, they immediately referred to City Manager Scott Hannum. Hannum also said he didn’t want to comment until the legal process unfolds; however, he did report that the case won’t be handled by Carbon County court.

Instead, being Rutherford is the acting county fire warden, Hannum said, to avoid conflicts, the case will be handled by Sweetwater County. Although Rutherford had a hearing earlier this week, Hannum said his next court date is unknown.

Read more: https://www.rawlinstimes.com/news/officials-remain-silent-regarding-fire-chief-arrest/article_cae2ecd8-a489-5f67-ae71-a4f81dd30879.html

The officials may have remained silent, but the reporter has the sordid story at the link. I suspect that the sheriff's race in Carbon County might get interesting.